Ferrokinetic Shinobi
by ILikeReading1
Summary: "He will accomplish great things one day." After a brutal mob attack, young Naruto gains a power long forgotten by the nations. With the help of his new abilities, his friends, and a certain fox, Naruto will reshape his destiny and the fate of the Elemental Nations. AU, OOC/Smarter Naruto, NaruFemHaku, ItaKonan, SasuSaku.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello reader, glad you took the time to look at my fic. Just to let you know, this is my first time writing one, and I hope you enjoy it. By the way, if it seems that this concept was ripped off from someone else, I apologize, but I had no idea that there were similar fics out there.

I'd like to thank all the AMAZING authors on this site for inspiring me to try my own story. You guys rock!

Also a big thank you to my beta reader, pain17ification! Go check his stories out, they're really good.

Disclaimer: All canonical characters, references, and abilities/techniques belong to their rightful owners.

Chapter 1 – Awakening of Power

"Normal speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"**Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki speaking"**

'_**Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki thoughts'**_

~ 8.45 pm, October 10, Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni ~

The ninja village of Konoha was surprisingly lively for this time of night as the village was celebrating an annual festival to commemorate the sacrifice of their Fourth Hokage when he defeated the greatest of the nine Biju, the Kyubi no Yoko, or Nine-tailed Demon Fox, in battle. The official story behind that was that the Kyubi had been killed, but in truth, the Biju had merely been sealed into a newborn infant, a Jinchuriki. This festival was a relatively recent development, having only started up about three years prior on the first anniversary of the Kyubi Incident, as the attack was called.

Being such an auspicious event, one would expect everyone in the village to be out and about, celebrating and partying to their heart's content. Indeed, most of the villagers were doing just that, the only exception being a small, four-year-old, blond-haired, blue-eyed boy dressed in the tattered remains of an orange bed sheet. Said boy was currently hiding in an alleyway as a particularly large group of villagers walked past, hoping that no one would notice him.

This boy is Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, not that he knew about the Namikaze part, and this day just so happened to be his birthday. Ordinarily, a birthday would be a great celebration and a happy occasion for the child involved. But, most children are not the Jinchuriki of the Biju that nearly destroyed his home village. As a result of this particular trait, he was ostracized by nearly the entire civilian population of the village, the few who accepted him being the owner of a certain ramen stand and his daughter. Among the shinobi population, he was considered a nuisance at worst, though most of the chunin and genin, and even some of the jonin, seemed hell-bent on making him miserable.

After the crowd had passed, Naruto slowly snuck to the edge of the alley and looked out. Seeing no one around, he promptly bolted down the street, hoping to find a safe place to sleep for the night. Now, one might be wondering why such a young child would be wandering the streets alone at this time of night. As it turned out, just two months back, the caretaker of the orphanage that he used to live in decided that she had had enough of the "Demon Brat" sullying her establishment, and threw him out. Naruto had since learned to hide in the numerous alleys and sewers that stretched out across Konoha.

As he ran, Naruto did not notice a trio of chunin-level shinobi watching him from a nearby rooftop. Exchanging glances, the three chunin nodded to each other in agreement, vicious smiles creeping across their faces, before they began following Naruto along the rooftops. Stopping once Naruto had run into another alley to avoid another, bigger crowd, one of the chunin hopped off the roof right in front of the crowd.

"Hey, you lot!" barked the chunin, his eyes gleaming dangerously as the crowd turned to look at him, "Do you want to wail on a certain Demon?" The crowd seemed to perk up at his words, then a bulky man shoved his way to the front. "Tell us where _it _is and we'll gladly lay some hurt on it." The chunin looked up at his co-conspirators, who gave him thumbs up. Turning back to the crowd, the chunin pointed at the alley. "It's in there." he smiled sickly, "Beat it to a pulp for me will you?" The large man smiled back. "Gladly."

~ With Naruto ~

Naruto was huddled up against a dumpster, wondering why the crowd had yet to pass by. His curiosity momentarily overcoming his common sense, he snuck a peek to see what was going on. Unfortunately, this allowed several members of the crowd to see him. Immediately, shouts of, "There it is!" and "Kill the Demon!" rent the air as the crowd-turned-mob charged at the alley. Naruto paled and bolted down the street, the mob and the three shinobi hot on his heels.

~ Meanwhile, at the Hokage Tower ~

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Third Hokage of Konoha, was tired. He had spent pretty much the entire day reading and signing papers, and, quite frankly, he was getting sick of it. Glancing up at the framed pictures of Konoha's kage mounted on the wall, he lamented to the picture of the Fourth, Namikaze Minato, "How did you _do _it Minato? How did you manage to finish all this paperwork?" The picture of the Fourth seemed to wink at him mockingly, eliciting an annoyed growl from the Third. "I'll figure it out one day. You'll see."

Shaking his head, he returned his attention to his paperwork, hoping to get some more done before his former student and member of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, sent in his monthly report via toad. As he got back into the monotony of his work, he felt a sudden chill run up his spine. Glancing out the window, he frowned in worry. _'That feeling… I hope Naruto's alright.'_

~ With Naruto ~

Unfortunately for our dear blond, he was most certainly _not _alright. He had lost the mob rather easily at first, until the trio of chunin decided to alert _other _clumps of people as to his whereabouts. Soon, Naruto was being hunted down by a mob of nearly two hundred civilians.

In Naruto's defence, he managed to lead both the mob and the chunin on a merry chase that lasted for just over two hours before he took a wrong turn and found himself in a dead end alleyway in the slums of Konoha. Slowly turning back around, Naruto found himself facing a wall of angry civilians. As the mob advanced, Naruto slowly backed up until he hit the end of the alley.

Staring up at their enraged expressions, Naruto dropped to his knees and whimpered, "D-don't hurt me. _Please._" The villagers within earshot promptly turned red, and the closest one snarled out, "Don't hurt you? _Don't hurt you?!_ Do you have _any _idea what you've done to us, you _Monster?_" Then the villager kicked Naruto in the chest, an action that sparked off the rest of the mob as they closed in on the poor child with cries of, "Kill the Demon!" and "Punish the Monster for what it's done!"

As the mob descended on the hapless boy, all Naruto could do was curl into a ball and wait for the pain to end.

~ With the Third ~

Hiruzen was currently speaking with Jiraiya, in person, the latter having decided to swing by to see his sensei and his godson, as he did every year. Jiraiya had just finished giving his report on several goings on in the Elemental Continent, chief amongst those being the whereabouts and activities of the infamous missing-nin Orochimaru, a former member of the Legendary Sannin, and Jiraiya's ex-best friend.

"So," started Hiruzen, "Orochimaru has based himself in Rice Country has he?" Jiraiya nodded from where he was leaning against the wall of the office. "Yeah, but he's gotten better at covering his tracks. My spies couldn't find anything else other than that. I might actually have to go in there myself soon to see what's up." He grinned, "Maybe I'll be able to see old Snake-head face to face again." Hiruzen just shook his head in wry amusement, knowing that, while Jiraiya was many things, a fool he was not.

His face suddenly firming, Jiraiya asked, "So, where's my godson tonight?" Hiruzen looked up from his paper work, his face creased in thought, before he reached under his desk and pulled out his viewing orb. Setting the crystal sphere on the table, he flashed through a set of hand-signs before muttering, "Uzumaki Naruto". The sphere clouded over slightly before revealing a large mob wailing on an orange lump on the ground with fists, feet, and numerous makeshift weapons.

The two kage-level shinobi raised their eyebrows in confusion, until part of the orange cloth covering the lump shifted, revealing a head of spiky blond hair. The two men felt their hearts stop in horror. "No." Jiraiya whispered, his eyes wide in shock. "NO!" He roared before whirling around and leaping out the window, heading towards the slums at breakneck speed.

Hiruzen was not far behind his student, the old kage having summoned his personal ANBU team, Team Ro, which consisted of members Dog, Weasel, Cat, and Tiger, as back up. The five quickly caught up with the enraged Sannin and the six shinobi formed an arrowhead formation, with Hiruzen and Jiraiya at the front.

~ Back with Naruto ~

Naruto was barely conscious, his small body having gone through a level of abuse that even a _shinobi_ would have difficulty tanking through. His whole body seemed to be aflame with agony, so much so that he could not tell what hurt the most, the cleaver imbedded halfway through his left femur, the pitchfork stuck through his right calf, his shattered ribs and punctured lung, his fractured skull, the knife in his right shoulder, or the shattered remains of his upper left arm. Despite all this, the villagers showed no signs of stopping, and Naruto felt his hope beginning to dwindle.

Just as he was about to pass out, the beating stopped. Weakly opening his right eye, his left one having long since swollen shut from the beating, he gazed up through blurry vision to see the trio of chunin from earlier standing between him and the crowd, smug smirks adorning their faces.

One of them strode forward and grabbed Naruto by his left arm, eliciting a scream of pain from the young child. Snorting in disgust, the chunin pulled out a few kunai and _nailed _Naruto to the wall of the alley through his wrists and ankles. Naruto let loose an inhuman shriek as the steel passed through the joints, his voice raw and hoarse from hours of screaming. Hearing the shriek, the six approaching shinobi increased speed, hoping to get there before it was too late.

The chunin stepped back and nodded to his colleagues, one of which began to weave hand-signs in preparation for a ninjutsu. Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and the ANBU arrived just as the chunin yelled, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" sending a ten-foot-wide sphere of fire at the crucified Jinchuriki.

Hiruzen was about to intervene when suddenly Naruto's good eye snapped open and he screamed, "NO!" Suddenly, as though in response to his desire to protect himself, sheets of metal were ripped from every building within a one block radius of the area and formed a wall of corrugated steel between Naruto and the fireball. The fireball struck the metal sheets and dissipated harmlessly.

Everyone watching was staring at the floating metal sheets with dumbfounded expressions, and then Naruto finally passed out, the strain of his injuries combined with what he had just done proving to be too much for his body. As he went limp, the metal sheets collapsed to the ground, giving the three chunin a clear shot at Naruto. However, before the chunin could capitalize on this development, the entire mob found themselves staring at the enraged forms of one kage, one Sannin, and four ANBU.

"What, _exactly_, do you think you're doing?" Snarled the Third, his killing intent spiking as he slowly advanced on the terrified mob. "WELL?!" Ignoring his furious sensei, Jiraiya hurried over to Naruto and hurriedly yanked the kunai and other weapons from his limbs, absently noting that Naruto's more severe injuries were already beginning to heal. _'Must be the fox.' _Thought Jiraiya as he turned back to his sensei, who was now surrounded by another fifty ANBU members.

Hiruzen began barking orders to the assembled ANBU. "ANBU! Bring these… useless excuses for human beings to the T&I Centre." His gaze turned cold, "Tell Ibiki and Anko to go all out." "Hai, Hokage-sama!" Chorused the ANBU before effortlessly rounding up the mob and carting them away. Satisfied that the mob was taken care of, he glanced over to Team Ro as Jiraiya walked up with Naruto cradled in his arms. "You four, follow Jiraiya and I to the hospital. Let's move!"

As the six shinobi sprinted off, Hiruzen glanced over at his student's distraught face. "Jiraiya… how is he?" The Sannin glanced over at the Hokage, noting that Team Ro had also drawn closer to listen in. He sighed, "He's… he's not looking good, sensei. If it weren't for the Kyubi, Naruto would be dead. Heck, if _I _was the one injured like this, I'd have passed out and died _hours _ago." Hiruzen frowned thunderously as he looked forward once more, feeling a deep sense of shame well up within him at the knowledge of what his village had done to a child.

~ Konoha General Hospital ~

The six shinobi charged into the main reception area like a battering ram, marching right up to the main desk. Jiraiya looked at the receptionist, who was scribbling something onto a clipboard, and said, "We need a medic-nin. _Now_." The receptionist glanced up curiously, about to direct them to one of the free medics, when she caught sight of Naruto. Immediately, her expression shifted to disgust. Turning up her nose she said, "I'm sorry sir, but all the doctors are currently occupied, but if you would like to wait-" She was cut off by Hiruzen slamming his hand down on the table so hard it snapped in half.

She jumped in fright. "H-hokage-sama!" "Shut it!" barked the kage, "Find me a doctor now, or so help me, I'll send you to Ibiki as well." The receptionist paled and immediately rung up the hospital's head of medical staff, a medic-nin named Hiroto. Ironically, Hiroto was one of the few medical staff that actually _liked _Naruto, a fact that was well known to the six shinobi present.

Upon hearing that both the Hokage _and _one of the Sannin were waiting for him, he rushed into the reception area. Upon seeing Naruto's beaten and broken body, he hissed out a curse and hurried them to an empty room. Once inside, he began trying his level best to repair the damage done.

As Hiroto worked, the other six shinobi took up various guard positions within the room, their senses on high alert in case of an attempted attack on Naruto. As they waited, Jiraiya turned to Hiruzen and said, "Sensei, I know you told me that the villagers hated him, but to do this!" Hiruzen sighed, seeming to age several decades. "I know Jiraiya, I know. Believe you me, I've tried _everything _I could to keep Naruto safe, but the civilian council keeps stonewalling me with bureaucracy and red tape. Even among the shinobi council, most of the clan heads are apathetic regarding the boy. The only ones that seem to care anything are Inuzuka Tsume, and Uchiha Fugaku."

Jiraiya started in surprise. "_Fugaku? _Are you serious?" Hiruzen nodded. "Yes. Though I believe Mikoto has something to do with that. She and Kushina were always close." Jiraiya nodded, a nostalgic smile on his face. Hiroto falling back into a chair with an exhausted sigh interrupted his unvoiced reply.

Looking around, Hiroto said, "Well, I can safely say that I've _never _been more grateful to the Kyubi in my entire life. Its chakra was accelerating Naruto's healing long before you brought him to me." He smiled in exhaustion. "He'll be alright. Still, his injuries were severe, so I'd recommend he stay here for the night." "Thank you, Hiroto." Said Hiruzen, earning a smile from the medic-nin. "No need to thank me, Hokage-sama. I'm just doing my duty. But I must ask, what happened to him?"

Hiruzen sighed and sat down. "Well, most of the details will probably come from the chunin being interrogated by Anko and Ibiki, but what we do know is…"

As Hiruzen related the details based on what he had seen, deep within Naruto's body a pair of crimson, slit-pupiled eyes snapped open from behind a set of gigantic gates. **"Hmm." **Rumbled the figure as it sent a stream of crimson chakra out from between the bars.** "I think it's time my… jailor and I had a little… **_**chat**_**."**

A/N: Just a head's up, updates may be sporadic depending on how free I am. I apologize in advance.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey guys. First off I'd like to thank everyone who has read/followed/favourited/reviewed this story, your support is greatly appreciated. I honestly didn't expect to get much in the way of reviews, favourites, or follows, so I'm really surprised at how many follows and favourites I have, you're all amazing!

Also, to Vkass, thanks for the encouragement, and I hope that I can meet your expectations for this story. On another note, I chose to do those pairings _because _there's so few of them. Hope I do them to your liking!

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Hope you guys like it as much as the first one!

**NOTE: **Fair warning, the next few chapters are mostly filler until we get to the main plot, so please bear with them, they might get a little dry.

Disclaimer: All canonical characters, references, and abilities/techniques belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 2 – Inner Demons

"Normal speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"**Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki speaking"**

'_**Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki thoughts'**_

~ Naruto's mindscape ~

Narutos small body, surprisingly void of any and all injuries, lay belly-up in the murky waters of his mindscape. For a moment, all was silent; then a stream of crimson energy slammed into Naruto and was absorbed. Naruto did not move for a full minute, then he twitched and his sky-blue eyes snapped open. Drawing in a lung-full of air with a throaty gasp, he bolted upright, his body taut with fear as he snapped his head left and right. His body shook with his heaving breaths, his pupils contracted from a combination of fear and adrenaline. Eventually though, he calmed down enough to take proper stock of his surroundings.

Noticing the ankle-deep water around him, his first thought was that he had somehow managed to escape the mob and crawl into the sewers, like so many other times he had been beaten up. That train of thought was immediately ended when he looked up and saw just how _massive _the room was: far too big to be any sewer in Konoha. Gulping nervously, he edged his way in a random direction, hoping to find some way out of this place.

As he walked, he felt a sudden breeze ruffle his tattered rags and his hair. Blinking in surprise, he immediately began walking in the direction the breeze came from. His time spent on the streets and running from mobs had taught him that if he were ever to be caught in a place like this, that even the slightest breeze could lead to a potential exit.

With this thought in mind, Naruto trudged onward; hope beginning to fill his chest.

After several minutes of walking, Naruto found himself in front of the largest set of gates he had ever seen. His jaw dropped open in awe as he stared at the massive bars, and he glanced up to see how far it went. As his gaze travelled upward, he noticed a small piece of paper attached to the gates, seemingly holding them shut. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, he edged forward to take a closer look.

He had only taken two steps when a massive blast of air erupted from within the bars, nearly knocking him over. He staggered backwards, scowling in annoyance at the wind. He stubbornly lifted his foot to take another step forward when a gigantic pair of crimson eyes snapped open, stopping him dead in fear.

Naruto slowly put his foot back down, his eyes never leaving the unblinking gaze of whatever was behind the gate. Swallowing nervously, Naruto decided to break the silence. "W-who's there? Who are you?" This time, he heard the unmistakable sound of an animal breathing, having spent enough time hiding out in the woods to know what that sounded like. Only instead of the gentle huffs he was used to, the breathing of _this _creature sounded like a hurricane.

The eyes just stared at him and blinked once. Then a gigantic maw appeared below those eyes, a maw filled with razor sharp teeth each more than twice the height of a man. Said maw spilt into a massive, ear-to-ear grin, as Naruto began to shake in terror. Then the being spoke, its voice booming like thunder, **"So, my jailor has finally seen fit to pay me a visit. I'm **_**honoured.**_**"**

Naruto flinched at the semi-mocking tone and the massive dose of sarcasm in that last statement. Taking in the child's frozen form, the creature snorted in disgust. **"**_**Pathetic.**_ **For one who can tolerate those… **_**ingrates **_**like you do, you're very easily scared aren't you, **_**boy**_**?" **Naruto frowned at the insult and, dredging up an inner reserve of bravado, _yelled_ at the massive creature, "Don't insult me! You're one to talk big, stuck in that cage like that!"

Immediately, the crimson eyes narrowed and the creature moved forward into the light, finally allowing Naruto to see the massive form of the Kyubi no Yoko in all its glory. Naruto felt his blood run cold as he gazed up at the scourge of the Land of Fire, and he had to fight the urge to flee in terror as the immense fox glared down at him.

"**Care to repeat that, **_**human**_**?" **Snarled the fox as he lowered his head, his massive muzzle inches from the bars. When Naruto remained silent, the fox huffed in amusement. **"What's the matter boy? Too in awe of my majesty to speak?" **"T-this is impossible." Stammered Naruto, his face pale, "The Fourth _killed _you." The Kyubi opened his mouth to say something, when Naruto cut him off with a scream of terror. "AAAHHHH! Th-then that means… _I'm _dead! No, no, no, no, no. I can't die yet, I haven't become Hokage… I-I-"

The Kyubi rolled his eyes and laid his head on his paws to watch Naruto freak out. After several minutes of Naruto bemoaning his fate and wearing a circle into the floor, the fox decided enough was enough. **"SILENCE!" **Roared the fox, knocking Naruto over with the force of the shout. **"As amusing as it is to watch you whine and scream-" **"Hey!" **"-you're not dead, and we have more important things to discuss."**

Naruto sat up, blinking in confusion. "I'm not… I'm not dead! Yeah!" He began to dance around in joy, and then he skidded to a halt. "Wait, if I'm not dead, and you're here, then… that means _you're _not dead. Right?" **"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!" **Snarked the Kyubi before he started snickering under his breath.Naruto rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at the fox. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up fluffy-butt." The Kyubi froze, his eye twitching, then, **"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?! I am the Kyubi no Yoko, greatest of the Biju! I am nature incarnate! I am-" **"Stuck in a cage?"

The Kyubi spluttered, trying to come up with a reply to that, only to draw a blank. Upon seeing the semi-frustrated look on the massive fox's face, Naruto promptly burst out laughing. The Kyubi tilted his head curiously, having never heard Naruto laugh, _truly_ laugh, ever. This was not the fake laugh he used around the Hokage, or the irritatingly loud guffaws that signaled a successful prank, this was a joyful laugh, a happy laugh, one that made even the mighty Kyubi crack a small smile.

Once Naruto had calmed down, he turned to the fox, wiping tears from his eyes. Shooting the Biju a small smile while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, he said, "Thanks. No one's ever made me laugh like that before." The Kyubi blinked in surprise at the thanks, then he smirked, _**'Well, this one's certainly different from every other human I've ever met. His aura is as pure as yours was… Father. Might he be the one?'**_

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the Kyubi looked at Naruto and nodded once, accepting the thanks. Then he cleared his throat. **"Right, we have quite a bit to discuss, and not very much time to do it, so sit down and listen up. Understand?" **Naruto nodded eagerly and sat down, uncaring that the being speaking to him was a mountain-sized fox capable of leveling entire nations, all that mattered to him was that a complete stranger was _willingly_ spending time with him. The Kyubi caught onto Naruto's stray thought and suppressed a flinch. _**'I may despise humans, but what's happened to him is something I would not wish on anyone. Not even Madara… alright, well, **_**maybe **_**Madara, but no one else, and especially not a child.'**_

"**Right, first I need to ask, what do you remember?"**

"Well…I remember getting cornered by that mob, then they... uh, beat me up." Naruto swallowed at the memory. "Then I got pinned to the wall, and… it's all blank after that actually."

The Kyubi sighed and nodded as though Naruto had just confirmed something for him. **"As I suspected. Your conscious mind shut down, bringing your body into an instinctive fight-or-flight mode."**

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Uh, I may be a bit smarter than the average four-year old, but I'm still four. Could you use smaller words?"

The fox nearly facepawed. Naruto was so mature for a child, an unfortunate consequence of being forced to fend for himself ever since he could walk, that the Kyubi had forgotten that he was just that, a child. **"Right. What I meant was… you actually already fainted, your body just reacted by itself. Anyway, one of those shinobi shot a fireball at you, and you did the most amazing thing: you pulled metal sheets from the buildings and made a wall to block the attack."**

Naruto's jaw dropped. "I did _what_? But… how?" **"I was surprised myself honestly, I haven't seen that ability in over a century. The last person to have it lived during the days of the warring clans." **Shaking his head, the Kyubi continued, **"Back to you, after blocking the fireball, your body gave out and the metal fell to the ground. Fortunately for you, the one you call "Hokage" showed up with several of the ANBU and one old man who smelled of toads. They arrested the mob and brought you to the hospital, where your body is currently resting."**

Naruto nodded slowly as he assimilated the information, his mind reeling. After sitting in contemplative silence for several minutes, he jerked as a sudden thought hit him. "Wait a minute… how did you know what happened after I blacked out anyway? It's not like you were there to see it… were you?" _**'Here we go.' **_Thought the fox, _**'Time for you to prove my gut feeling right, child.' **_

"**The reason I know these things is because... the Fourth Hokage could not kill me, so he **_**sealed **_**me away." **"Sealed? What's that mean?" **"It's like locking something into a box." **"Oh. Where?" **"Into the only child that was born that night of course." **

Naruto went white. "_What?_" He whispered, his eyes wide in disbelief. "M-me? He sealed _you _into me? _Why_?" The Kyubi sighed. **"That… is not for me to say. You will have to ask the Hokage to tell you."**

Naruto pouted in indignation, but nodded all the same, recognizing the firm look in the fox's eyes. It was the same look the Hokage gave him when he refused to change his mind.

Naruto sighed in acceptance; then he blinked in confusion. "Hold on, if you're sealed into me, then where are we now?" **"In your head. This is what is called a "mindscape"." **"This is the inside of my _head_? Wow." Naruto looked around before deadpanning, "What a dump." This blunt assessment caused both him and the Kyubi to break out into chuckles.

As they calmed down, Naruto remembered something. "Wait a minute! You attacked the village that night! That's how you ended up here in the first place, isn't it?!" The Kyubi nodded, his expression impassive. "What'd you do that for? Do you _know_ what my life's been like because of that?!"

"**Do NOT think for even a **_**moment**_** that attacking this pitiful village was my idea!" **Snapped the fox, his eyes blazing with anger. **"I was **_**forced **_**to attack your home. I'd much rather have left the village **_**entirely**_** so I didn't have to be **_**sealed**_**!" **The Kyubi glared at Naruto for a few seconds, then turned around, feeling slightly hurt that Naruto had just accused him like that.

Naruto flinched at the anger and subtle undertone of hurt in the fox's yell. He looked down, mentally berating himself for judging the fox like how the villagers judged him. "I-I'm sorry for going off at you like that." The Kyubi's ears perked up in surprise and his head turned slightly to look at Naruto. "It's just…"

"**You wanted something to lash out at? Something to distract you from the hurt and pain?" **Naruto nodded meekly. "Y-yeah. But that makes me no better than the villagers. Besides, I can tell that you're telling the truth." The Kyubi's eyes widened slightly and he spun around fully to face Naruto. **"You… **_**what**_**?"**

"Well, yeah. It's not so hard. After dealing with the villagers for so long, I can sort of tell when people are lying." He beamed up at the massive fox. "So far you've been completely honest with me. So thank you!" The Kyubi just stared at him, trying to process what it was seeing, and then he grinned. **"You are an interesting human. I think you'll be rather interesting to work with."**

"Work with? Like… uh, what's the word… par-ten-ers?" **"It's "partners", and yes, like that."**

Naruto tilted his head to the side, his eyes squinted as he mulled over the offer. After a minute, he shook his head. "No, not partners." He smiled a megawatt smile and held his hand out as thought to shake. "Let's be friends!"

The Kyubi raised an eyebrow. **"**_**You **_**want to be friends with **_**me**_**? After everything that's happened?" **Naruto nodded emphatically. "Yes. You've been nicer to me than anyone other than Hokage-jiji, Teuchi-ojisan, Ayame-neechan, and some of those animal ninjas, why wouldn't I want to be your friend?"

There was a stunned silence in the mindscape for several seconds, then the Kyubi burst out laughing. **"BWAHAHAHA! You're something else, kit. Alright, I accept." **"Great! My name's Naruto, and I like Hokage-jiji, Teuchi-ojisan, Ayame-neechan, all my ninja brothers and sisters, and ramen! My dream is to become Hokage one day!" The Kyubi cocked his head in confusion, and after an awkward silence, Naruto said, "Go on; introduce yourself!" **"Oh, right. My name is Kurama, I like… well, my family I suppose, and my father. My dream is to fulfill my father's dream."**

"Cool!" Yelled Naruto. "Nice to meet you Kurama! Who's your family? What're their names? Are they giant foxes like you? Who's your father? What do you mean your father's dream is yours? Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

Kurama snorted in amusement. **"Calm down, kit. I'll tell you, just not now. We've been talking long enough, and I think that it's time you woke up." **Naruto's expression turned pleading. "AWWW, come on! Just a little longer? Please?" **"As much as I'd like to, I think you and the Hokage need to talk. We'll continue this another time, alright?"**

Naruto sighed and acquiesced. "Fine. How do I get out of here?" **"Just close your eyes and imagine that you're waking up." **

Naruto closed his eyes, then hesitantly reopened them. "W-what if I can't get back here?" Kurama smiled, amused by Naruto's concern. **"I'll bring you here until you learn to come by yourself, now go on."**

Naruto nodded, and closed his eyes, properly this time. His body wavered, flickered, and vanished, his consciousness returning to the land of the living, leaving Kurama alone in the mindscape.

There was a peaceful silence in the mindscape for several seconds, then Kurama focused on a pair of shadowy figures, one male and one female, standing in the darkness somewhere beyond the cage. **"That kid of yours is really something you know." **The fox grinned viciously as the figures shifted slightly in response. **"He will accomplish great things one day, I can feel it."**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey all! Okay, first off, really sorry for the long wait and the short-ish chapter. It's midterm season, and I've been pretty busy. I'll try and get the next one up faster, though. In the meantime, enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: All canonical characters, references, and abilities/techniques belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 3 – Naruto's Guardians

"Normal speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"**Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki speaking"**

'_**Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki thoughts'**_

~ Naruto's hospital room, just as Naruto and Kurama finished talking ~

Sarutobi Hiruzen had just finished relating the events that led up to Naruto's hospitalization to the horrified medic-nin, and Hiroto was visibly restraining himself from charging downstairs to fire the receptionist. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, the medic asked, "Hokage-sama, what do you plan to do to those… _beasts_?"

Hiruzen gave a sad sigh and closed his eyes, a tired expression on his face. "Unfortunately, I can only reprimand the shinobi, the civilians are beyond my jurisdiction. However, I'm quite sure Haruno Mebuki will try her hardest to see them jailed for this. That being said, only her and Ichiraku Teuchi are likely to take any action against the civilians, the rest would rather see Naruto burn."

Jiraiya gave a frustrated sigh and rested his face in his hands. "How did it get this bad, sensei?" mumbled the Sage, "Minato _insisted _that Naruto be seen as a hero. A _hero_!" The Third shot his student a helpless look. "I've done all I can Jiraiya. It appears that Naruto will have to _earn _the respect and recognition of the village before things begin to improve."

As he said this, no one noticed Naruto's eyes flutter open. The young boy allowed his eyes to rove around the room, immediately recognizing the white walls and antiseptic smell of the hospital. He was about to announce his presence when a familiar voice rumbled in his mind. **"I wouldn't say anything yet, Naruto." **Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and he almost yelled out. Almost. **"Keep **_**quiet**_**." **Hissed the fox. **"I have a feeling that they will talk about things that you shouldn't know yet, so pretend to be unconscious, and maybe we'll get something good." **Naruto gave a mental nod and promptly played dead just as Cat and Tiger glanced him. Seeing nothing new, they shrugged and turned back to the conversation.

Jiraiya snorted and leaned back against the wall. "Yeah, that'll happen." Hiruzen winced at the bitterness in his student's tone. "Naruto needs someone to look after him. To keep something like this from happening ever again."

"While you may be right, Jiraiya," started Hiruzen, causing the others in the room to perk up, "the civilian council would never allow a shinobi to live with him, and until Naruto becomes a shinobi himself, he is still under their jurisdiction. I cannot help you there, I fear."

Naruto winced internally upon hearing this. _'So, I'm trapped there then?' _Kurama growled softly.**"I wouldn't assume that yet, kit. There's still hope."**

"Then I'll take him with me when I leave!" Snapped Jiraiya, his eyes blazing. "I am _not _going to allow _my godson_ to stay here. Not if he's going to be treated like dirt by the villagers." Hiroto uttered a gasp upon hearing the words, "my godson". As for Naruto, he barely kept himself from crying out in shock, Kurama having explained the meaning of the word 'godparent' to him.

The medic's eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you are indeed his godfather, pray tell then, Jiraiya-sama, _where_ have you been all this time?" Jiraiya glanced at the angry medic before responding, "I was running several S-rank intelligence and spying missions over the past few years. The details of which are, unfortunately, above your pay-grade. Sorry Hiroto."

Hiroto frowned, but nodded in understanding. S-rank missions were nothing to scoff at, and intelligence gathering missions were among the most difficult type of S-ranked missions, simply because of the risk of getting captured and interrogated. In that light, it was of little surprise that Jiraiya was unable to return to the village regularly. After a similar explanation from Kurama, Naruto grudgingly accepted the fact, though he still planned to chew Jiraiya out for it later.

"But," continued the Sage, "I _did _send financial support for Naruto while I was away. As I understand it, most of the money I sent went to keeping him housed, clothed, and fed." At Hiroto's satisfied smile, he turned back to his sensei. "So, sensei, I'll be taking Naruto out of the village as soon as he awakes, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Naruto's brow twitched imperceptibly. _'Who does he think he is, deciding things for me like that? I don't _care _if his money allowed me to stay at the orphanage.' _Kurama rolled his eyes within the cage. **"He **_**is **_**your godfather, kit, and besides, anything would be an improvement over **_**that**_** dump." **Naruto gave a mental grunt, accepting the answer, but not liking it.

"Unfortunately, Jiraiya-sama," started Dog, who was, like the other members of Team Ro, listening with rapt attention, "I believe that it is ultimately up to Naruto to decide if he wants to stay or go. He is a surprisingly precocious four-year old, and I've come to learn from observing him that making _any_ major decision regarding him without his consent will usually invite some form of retribution." Naruto and Kurama smirked to themselves.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Retribution? From _Naruto_? What kind of "retribution" could a four-year old come up with?" Team Ro and Hiruzen exchanged amused looks, then Weasel spoke up, "Well, last year Hokage-sama tried moving Naruto out of the orphanage, without telling him. Naruto just moved right back into the orphanage and pranked Hokage-sama for a week." Naruto held in a giggle at the memories while Kurama snorted in amusement.

Jiraiya blinked dumbly for severa seconds, then he snorted and covered up his mouth to stifle his chuckles. "He… _pranked _you, sensei? A _child _pranked the Kami no Shinobi?" Hiruzen huffed in amusement. "Yes, well, in my defence, I didn't expect him to be quite so good at sneaking around."

"So what'd he do?" Snickered Jiraiya.

Sarutobi smiled sheepishly. "Uh, well, he… managed to sneak into my office while I was out on a lunch break and plant several paint bombs in the desk, amongst other things."

Jiraiya's eyes widened in surprise. "_Paint bombs_? Where'd he get _those _from?" Team Ro exchanged glances and shrugged collectively. "We don't know."

Naruto smirked in his head. _'Gotta thank Scar-san for giving me those.' _

Kurama grunted in agreement. **"For a human, he's alright in my book." **

Naruto prepared to say something, then he paused. _'Wait, what does that mean?' _

Kurama sweatdropped. **"I'll… tell you later. For now though, I think we've heard enough."**

Naruto gave a mental nod. _'Yeah. Well, time to make my entrance. Later Kurama.' _After the Naruto cut off the link, the fox grinned to himself. _**'This'll be interesting.'**_

Hiruzen, noting Jiraiya's mischievous smirk, was about to try and defend himself from the inevitable ribbing when Naruto spoke up. "Well, _they _may not know where I got the bombs from, but _I _do."

The seven adults promptly whipped around to stare at the bed, where Naruto was sitting up, a cheeky grin on his face. "Hey guys. Miss me?" Before the men could reply, Neko jumped at Naruto and crushed him into a warm hug.

"Don't you _ever _scare me like that again, Otouto! Understand?!" scolded the ANBU, her body shaking with a combination of relief and nerves, the tension that had built up over the past several hours slowly leeching away.

Naruto's expression turned remorseful as the other members of Team Ro, Hiroto, and the Hokage approached him. Turning to his surrogate big sister, he buried his face into her arm and hugged her warmly. "I'm sorry, Cat-neechan. It won't happen again, I promise." Cat just hugged him tighter while Dog, Tiger, and Weasel placed their hands on Naruto's shoulders and head, silently reassuring him with their presence.

"Naruto," started Hiruzen after several moments of silence during which they just enjoyed Naruto's company, "you clearly didn't just wake up, so how much did you hear?" Naruto stiffened and glanced out the window, wondering what to tell them. As the silence stretched on, Cat gently rubbed Naruto's back. "Naruto-otouto," she started, causing him to glance at her, "we won't be angry. Just tell us."

Naruto swallowed nervously and nodded. Turning to the Hokage, he said, "Well Jiji, I… heard everything from the part where you mentioned earning respect from the village." The shinobi stiffened in surprise, and Jiraiya started to sweat. "Everything?" asked Hiruzen cautiously.

"Yes." Said Naruto as he cast Jiraiya a hard look. "_Everything_. Including the part about my _godfather_." Hiruzen winced at the tone while Team Ro and Hiroto shifted uncomfortably. Naruto just kept staring at Jiraiya until the Sage turned away, his expression riddled with guilt.

"If you heard everything already, then you _know _why I wasn't able to be here for you, Naruto." Jiraiya said, though in the face of Naruto's hurt expression, his excuse suddenly seemed very, _very _weak. Naruto snorted and looked away. "Doesn't mean that I have to like it, _Kyoufu_. I didn't even know you _existed_! You should have at least dropped by to talk with me or something!" he spat as he looked at the floor, his voice tinged with anger and an undercurrent of hurt.

Jiraiya sighed and walked over to Naruto. "Naruto," he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, causing Naruto to stiffen, "I know there's nothing I can do to make up for my absence, but I'm here now, and I will _never _leave you alone like that again. Promise." Naruto looked up at him, his eyes boring into Jiraiya's, searching for the truth. When Naruto spoke again, his voice was small and vulnerable, "Y-you're telling the truth… you really mean that?" Jiraiya smiled as he ruffled Naruto's hair. "Of course I do, kid."

What Naruto did next surprised them all. He jump-hugged Jiraiya, tears of joy leaking from his eyes. Clearly, no one had ever made such a heartfelt promise to him before, and he was overcome with happiness. Jiraiya looked utterly stumped for several seconds, then his expression softened and he gently embraced Naruto into a hug.

Hiruzen smiled as he shared a look with Team Ro, the body language of the ANBU clearly displaying their feelings on the situation. As for Hiroto, the medic was subtly wiping a tear from his eye. The elderly kage let the two stay in that position until Naruto had stopped sobbing, then he cleared his throat.

"Eh, Naruto, since you were awake for most of the conversation, what do you think about moving out of the orphanage and going with Jiraiya?" Asked Hiruzen, his expression not betraying anything of how he felt on the subject.

Naruto looked down, his bottom lip sticking out in an adorable pout that made Cat forcibly shove down her kawaii reflex as he thought. "Weeeeeeell," he started, "I don't actually _want _to go back to the orphanage." Jiraiya's face lit up and Hiruzen, Hiroto, and Team Ro sagged slightly in relief. "But," the shinobi stiffened slightly, "I don't want to leave the village either."

Jiraiya spluttered in shock. "W-what? Why? They treat you like trash here!"

Naruto nodded. "I know, Kyoufu." He blinked. "Wow, feels funny to call someone that." He shook his head. "Anyway, I'm not leaving the village. It's home, and I want to stay."

Hiruzen knelt down to look Naruto in the eye. "Are you certain you wish to stay, Naruto? Things may only get harder for you once they learn that you survived the attack tonight."

Naruto's face firmed in determination. "I know. That's why I'm going to show them that I am _not _the monster they call me." He smiled. "I will protect them. _All _of them, just like the Fourth did."

The gathered shinobi smiled, and Hiroto spoke up, "You really look up to the Fourth Hokage, don't you Naruto-kun?" Naruto jumped in surprise and whipped his head around to look at Hiroto.

"Ah! Hiroto-ojisan! I didn't see you there! What're you doing here?"

Hiroto chuckled. "I was the one who healed you, Naruto-kun. It's a good thing Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama, and the ANBU got you here so quickly. I'm not sure what would have happened if they had been any later."

Naruto smiled up at the medic while Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and Dog conversed in hushed tones. Nodding to each other, the three shinobi turned to Naruto, who had moved from Jiraiya's lap to Hiroto's. "Naruto-kun," started Dog, "we might have a way to get you out of the orphanage."

Naruto half turned his head, one eyebrow raised, unknowingly mimicking one of his father's old stances. "Uh, Dog-niisan, you _do _know that I don't actually _live _in the orphanage anymore, right?" The shinobi stared at him, eyes wide.

"Wh-what do you mean, Otouto?" murmured Cat as a sinking feeling settled into her stomach. "Well, I got kicked out of the orphanage a while ago. The Matron said something about filthy monsters." Naruto remarked offhandedly.

Killing intent immediately flooded the room as the shinobi's ire skyrocketed. Were Naruto not so used to the killing intent of the villagers and the occasional shinobi, he would have passed out. As it was, he still trembled in fear, though Kurama was comforting him from within the seal, which helped him weather the storm.

"How DARE SHE?!" roared the Hokage, his face twisted in rage. "Weasel, Tiger, I want her brought to Ibiki ASAP. Understand?" The two men nodded, their bodies tense with anger, and made to leap out the window only for Naruto's yell of "Stop!" to halt them in their tracks.

"Just leave it. Please." begged Naruto. "I don't want her to get into trouble because of me."

There was a stunned silence as everyone, even Kurama, who knew Naruto from the inside out, stared at the boy in muted awe. "Y-you're serious?" stammered Tiger, "After what she…?"

Naruto nodded resolutely. "Hai. She's never been very nice to me, but she looks after the other kids well enough. I… don't want them to lose her. I don't want them to be alone." He looked down and mumbled the next sentence, though they all heard him anyway. "Not like me."

The shinobi flinched and looked at each other, completely unsure about what to do or say, then Weasel knelt down in front of Naruto and tilted his head up. "Naruto-kun… you have the biggest heart I've ever seen." He smiled under his mask. "Alright, we won't do anything to her, but you're _not _going back there."

Hiruzen nodded in agreement. "No, you are _not_. I'll see if I can get you an apartment or something to stay at, unless you want to stay somewhere else?" Naruto frowned in thought. He did not want to be a bother to any of the ANBU, and he was pretty sure that they would be busy most of the time anyway. The same with the Hokage and Jiraiya, so it looked like living by himself was the best option for now. _'Then again, I'm not really alone, am I?' _Thought the boy mischievously, earning a rumbling chuckle from Kurama.

"I'd like that, Jiji. The apartment, I mean." The ANBU exchanged looks with Hiroto and Jiraiya. "Uh, Otouto," started Dog, "wouldn't you rather stay with one of us?"

Naruto gave a small smile. "I would, but I know that you guys are really busy anyway, Niisan. Besides, I'd like a place of my own."

Dog nodded slowly, clearly reluctant to let his little brother live by himself. "Alright, but we'll be checking in on you every now and then, okay?"

"That includes me." said Jiraiya. "I've been absent from your life for long enough." Hiroto nodded in agreement as Jiraiya continued, "We'll all take turns to visit. At least that way we can be sure that you're safe."

Naruto pouted. "I don't need you guys to keep checking in on me. I'll be _fine_."

Cat tweaked his nose in response. "Sorry Otouto, but we're not going to risk something happening to you again. So get used to it." When Naruto tried to protest, she grabbed him and pulled him into a playful noogie, earning an indignant squeal from the boy. "We're not gonna leave you alone. What kind of protectors would we be if we did that?"

Naruto just squirmed, trying to free himself. "Okay, okay, okay! I get it! Put me down Neechan!" Cat smirked and tickled his ribs before setting him down. Naruto shot her a dirty look, then his stomach let out a grumble, causing him to flush and grab his abdomen.

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Hungry are we, Naruto-kun?" Naruto nodded sheepishly. "Alright then, let's go get you something to eat. Do you want to come, Hiroto-san?"

Hiroto glanced at the clock. "Well, my shift is over, so I don't see why not. Where are we going?"

Hiruzen shot an amused glance at Naruto before responding, "Ichiraku Ramen of course."

Naruto blinked, then he began bouncing up and down in joy, chanting, "Ramen, ramen, ramen," over and over again. The adults exchanged amused glances before making for the door.

Naruto took a step forward, then Kurama spoke up. **"Kit."**

'_Huh? Kurama? What is it?' _

"**I want to speak with the shinobi. Mind if I take over for a bit?" **

Naruto gave a mental shrug. _'Eh, why not? Just don't take too long, I'm hungry.' _Kurama nodded and Naruto suddenly found himself back in the mindscape.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, Naruto's vibrant, sky-blue eyes turned a menacing crimson, and his pupils turned slitted. His whisker marks darkened and his nails and canines elongated and sharpened. Feeling the sudden shift in the chakra presence, Cat looked down at Naruto, and promptly froze upon seeing the blazing eyes of the Kyubi.

Noticing that Cat had stopped, the other shinobi turned to ask what was wrong, only to catch sight of the Kyubified Naruto. "Naruto" looked at them, then his mouth split into a massive grin. **"Hello, humans. I think we need to talk."**


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Wow. I'm honestly surprised at how many people have favorited/followed this story. You guys are amazing! Thanks for all your support, and special thanks to Mr AnimeKidd for mentioning me in his latest chapter. Anyone who has _not _seen his stories yet, I highly recommend them. Go check them out!

Anyway, here's the newest chapter! Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All canonical characters, references, and abilities/techniques belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 4 – A Talk With the Fox

"Normal speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"**Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki speaking"**

'_**Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki thoughts'**_

~ Naruto's Hospital room ~

The shinobi stared in stunned silence at the crimson eyes of the Kyubi, then they instinctively slipped into defensive stances, their eyes blazing with determination. As they encircled his host's body, Kurama just raised an eyebrow as he slowly turned Naruto's head in a circle, his eyes analyzing each shinobi with the detached interest of a scientist. As they closed the circle, he gave a gravelly chuckle that sounded completely unnatural coming from a child's mouth. **"All of you preparing to fight little old me? I'm **_**honoured**_**."**

Hiruzen snarled as he glared unflinchingly into Kurama's eyes. "Blasted fox! What have you done to Naruto?! If you've hurt him, I swear…"

Kurama snorted in disgust. **"**_**Please**_**. Do you think so lowly of me to **_**assume **_**that I would **_**intentionally**_** harm a **_**child**_**? I am **_**not **_**like your **_**villagers**_**, Hokage. You would do well to remember that."**

The gathered shinobi flinched at the audible note of anger in the Kyubi's voice, especially when he mentioned the villagers. Dog, who was standing next to Hiruzen, edged a little closer. "You claim to not want to harm Naruto, but how do we know that you're telling the truth?" His eyes narrowed behind his mask. "Foxes are well known to be crafty animals."

Kurama tilted Naruto's head to the side, his eyes boring into Dog with an intensity rivaling that of the Sharingan. Despite himself, the ANBU felt a shiver run up his spine as those ageless eyes stared him down. Then Kurama lifted Naruto's right hand to shoulder level and spoke, his tone and the expression on Naruto's face grave. **"I swear to you, on the grave of my father, that my intentions are pure, and that everything I will tell you this night is truth. I have no intention to harm Naruto, I just want to talk." **

"Who is your father, that we should trust such an oath?" Demanded Hiruzen sharply, his stance unwavering.

Kurama just tilted Naruto's head, looked the old man in the eye, and replied flatly, **"The Rikudo Sennin."**

Hiruzen's eyes widened and he slowly lowered his guard, much to the surprise of the other shinobi. "Sensei, what are you _doing_?" Hissed Jiraiya out of the corner of his mouth. "You can't seriously trust what the fox is saying can you?"

Hiruzen glanced at Jiraiya, his expression slightly disapproving. "Jiraiya, you _know _the weight behind an oath like that. Myth or not, the Rikudo Sennin's title is not one to take lightly." In response to this, the other shinobi slowly lowered their guards as well, though none of them noticed the twitching eyebrow on Naruto's face.

"**OI!" **barked Kurama, causing the shinobi to jump. **"My father was **_**not **_**a myth!" **The assembled shinobi exchanged curious glances.

"What do you mean "not a myth"? He's just a legend is he not?" inquired Hiruzen curiously, his eyebrows raised.

Kurama stood there speechless for several seconds, then he sighed and rubbed Naruto's temples in exasperation. **"Seriously? Father and Hamura-ojisan saved the world and **_**no one **_**remembers them? I should've spread the story out more back in the day." **Heaving another sigh, he guided Naruto's body over to the bed and sat down. **"Might as well get comfortable you lot, I have a lot to say."**

Once the shinobi were seated, Kurama looked around, muttering, **"Right, I suppose I should start at the beginning then." **He cleared Naruto's throat and straightened up. **"Long ago, before chakra, the world was divided by war. Tens of thousands of men and women fought and killed in the name of their homelands and leaders. Many of these wars were waged for the sake of conquering more lands, or acquiring more resources, much like your Shinobi World Wars."**

"Wait a minute," interrupted Cat, her body language screaming confusion, "what do you mean "before chakra"? I thought chakra had always existed."

Kurama snorted in amusement. **"Not always, human. Everything in Creation has a beginning, even the Biju were not alive during those days. I only know of those times because of what my father and uncle told my siblings and I, and even then my knowledge is… sporadic at best. What is most interesting is what my grandmother did to end the wars."**

"**You see, in those days, there was a massive tree, so tall it reached to the heavens. The tree was called the Shinju, or God-Tree. It was said to have crated the land and formed the continents with its power. Even in its dormant state, the energies it released empowered the earth around it, and nature itself flourished in its shadow. Anyway, every thousand years or so, the tree would grow a single fruit. The humans of the time dared not touch the tree or the fruit, for they hailed the Shinju as a god, and viewed such an act to be the highest form of sacrilege."**

"**However my grandmother, Princess Kaguya Otsutsuki, sought to end the senseless conflict that ravaged the world, so she took the fruit and ate it, regardless of the consequences. In doing so, she attained near godlike powers, and single-handedly ended the wars, leading people to worship her as the "Rabbit Goddess". She protected the world for years, until she gave birth to my father and uncle, Hagoromo and Hamura, the first humans in the world with naturally occurring chakra systems. You know the former as the Rikudo Sennin."**

As Kurama paused to let the listening shinobi absorb the information, he silently resolved to tell the story to Naruto once he was old enough to understand the implications. At the moment, Naruto, despite his maturity, was too young to be burdened with the knowledge of the origins of the Biju and chakra. The sound of a clearing throat snapped him out of his thoughts, and at the attentive expressions of his audience, he resumed his tale.

"**For some reason, following her pregnancy, Grandmother's health began to deteriorate rapidly, and she grew frailer and weaker as time went on." **Kurama's voice turned slightly sad at this point, and his eyes lost some of their original shine. **"Nothing Father or uncle tried worked, and she passed away in her sleep when Father turned forty. I never got to meet her." **He closed his eyes in reverence for Kaguya for a moment, the expression on his borrowed face somber.

After several seconds of awkward silence, Hiruzen edged forward and laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder. Kurama snapped Naruto's head up and looked at the elderly shinobi in surprise. Hiruzen's gaze softened slightly. "She must have been a wonderful person." Kurama nodded Naruto's head, a sad sigh escaping Naruto's lips.

"**Yes, she was. There was a time, before my father was born, when the world began to isolate her for fear of her power and for what she had done in taking the fruit, viewing her much like how the villagers now view Naruto." **He ignored the winces from the shinobi at the reminder.** "Fortunately, my grandfather's love for her kept her from falling into the darkness. I shudder to think of what might have happened if Grandfather had died earlier." **Naruto's lips twisted into a small smile. **"As it was, he passed on the **_**exact same time **_**that she did, or so my father told me, such was the depth of his devotion to her."**

There was a short silence as the gathered individuals pictured the worst-case scenario Kurama alluded to. The mental image those thoughts birthed _terrified_ them. From what Kurama was telling them, she sounded even _more _powerful than the Biju themselves. Then the expression on Naruto's face turned hard. **"Unfortunately, the Shinju had been waiting for just this moment to act. With my grandparents gone, the greatest threats to its power were no more, so it took on an alternate form."**

"Wait, wait, wait, wait." Started Jiraiya, waving his hands in front of his face. "The Shinju was a _tree_, you said so yourself, so how on _earth_ could it do something like that?"

Kurama made to answer, only to be cut off by Hiruzen, who had figured it out first. "The Shinju was sentient, wasn't it? It was angry that Kaguya ate the fruit and sought revenge."

Kurama nodded Naruto's head. **"That is correct. Unable to retaliate properly in its true form, it assumed the form of a massive, ten-tailed abomination, a creature the size of a mountain range. The people called it Ame no Hitotsu no Kami, the One-Eyed God. It then proceeded to rampage across the land, heading towards my father and uncle in order to reclaim that which was stolen from it. After that, it intended to wipe out humanity to prevent anyone else from doing what grandmother did."**

The shinobi exchanged glances at this as they processed the infromation, then one phrase stood out, causing them to stiffen in fear. "D-did you say, _ten _tails?" stammered Weasel, much to everyone else's surprise, seeing as the young shinobi was renowned for being incredibly unflappable. "But then that would make it…"

"**Even more powerful than me, yes. Even with all their power, it took my father and uncle three months of unending battle to finally defeat it. Their battle reshaped the landscape of the time, carving out the mountain ranges of Kaminari no Kuni, the islands of Kiri, the barren stone forests of Tsuchi, and the deserts of Suna. The only place they did **_**not **_**battle in was the modern day Hi no Kuni, and even then the echoes of their battle ignited the numerous volcanoes located in the farthest reaches of the country."**

"**Finally, my father and uncle managed to defeat the Jubi, though not in battle, but by sealing it away." **The shinobi's eyes widened, the scenario now taking on a form that was very similar to what had happened four years ago. **"Ah, I see that you understand where this is going. Yes, my father, with the help of Hamura-ojisan, sealed the Jubi into himself and so became the first Jinchuriki."**

The shinobi practically slumped into their chairs, their minds whirling with shock at the revelation. The most rattled of all of them was Weasel, having glimpsed parts of this on the tablet in the Naka Shrine under the Uchiha Compound. He had thought the story to be a mere fairy tale, but now he knew better, and the knowledge sent icy fingers running up his spine.

Kurama felt a sense of smug satisfaction in being able to render some of Konoha's most powerful shinobi speechless, but he knew that he had to wrap this up before dawn so that Naruto would be able to get something to eat before he went to bed. **"Right, well, from there, Father and Hamura-ojisan went their separate ways, each gifting chakra to others in an effort to find a way to unite the world. Hamura-ojisan would go on to start the Hyuga and Kaguya clans, while Father would sire the founders of the Uchiha and Senju clans." **

He held up Naruto's hand to forestall the inevitable questions. **"The story behind the clans is best left for another time, there is another aspect of the story that is far more important: the birth of the Biju. On his deathbed, Father knew that the Jubi was powerful enough to break free of his body once he had died, so he extracted the Jubi's chakra and split it into nine packets, forming the Biju. As for the Jubi's body, he sent it into the sky and formed the moon around it, sealing it away forever."**

"**Father told us to help keep the peace in the world. To ensure the unity of humanity, and believe me, we did our best, until humans started using us as **_**weapons**_**." **His crimson eyes flared in anger.** "WE ARE NOT WEAPONS!" **He roared, slamming Naruto's fist down onto the bedside table with enough force to crack the tabletop. **"Do you have ANY IDEA what it's like to have to watch your siblings get sealed away, and know**__**that there's **_**nothing **_**you can do to help them? DO YOU?" **He closed his eyes and looked away, though no one missed the single tear that leaked out from under the closed eyelid.** "The only reason I don't hate humanity as much as I should is because I still have hope in my father's dream, and because I **_**refuse **_**to become a monster like the Jubi."**

The shinobi exchanged guilty glances, realizing for the first time that the Biju were _more _than just chakra monsters, _more _than mere beasts. They were sentient beings, able to think, to dream, to feel, and to hope. In many respects, the Fox had shown himself to be more human than most of the people in the village, given how he had not allowed his hurt and anger to drive him to pure hatred of humanity, though he had every right to hate humans.

When Kurama had calmed down enough to turn back to the shinobi, Hiruzen calmly rose to his feet and approached the bed. "Kyubi, I can see the truth of your feelings in your eyes. One cannot fake such intense emotions, but I must ask, if you have no desire to be like the Jubi, then why did you attack Konoha that night? You could have just left."

Kurama snarled in anger. **"Trust me, I wanted to, but I was controlled by an Uchiha." **Unnoticed by anyone, Weasel turned sheet-white under his mask and nearly stopped breathing, his eyes the size of saucers.

"B-but the only Uchiha who could do that was… Madara." Stammered the Hokage fearfully, his face starting to pale.

Kurama snorted in disgust. **"That was not Madara. His chakra was nowhere **_**near **_**evil enough. But the fact remains; there is an Uchiha out there who is capable of controlling my siblings and I. I regret that so many died that night for my weakness though."**

"It wasn't your fault." Said Weasel stoically, having regained control of his emotions. "The Sharingan is a powerful tool, and in the wrong hands, can be used to devastating effect."

Kurama's eyes softened in gratitude as he turned to the Hokage and said, **"There is, however, one more piece of the puzzle: Naruto's powers."**

"You know what they are?" Inquired Hiruzen, barely masking the excitement in his voice.

"**Yes. According to Father, Grandfather was renowned for his ability to control vast quantities of metal, much like what Naruto did tonight. I'm not sure where the ability comes from, or how it originated, but I do remember what Father told us: "This ability is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because whosoever wields it shall attain powers beyond the reach of even I, and a curse because it will herald a time of great strife and turmoil in the land."" **

"**He was right. Every single time this power has appeared over the millennia was just before some great conflict. The last time it showed up was in the head of the Uzumaki clan over a hundred years ago, just a few years before Uzu was pulled into the Clan Wars. After that, I was never seen again, until today. Incidentally, all other times the power has appeared, it manifested in a fully grown adult."**

"Is there a significance in that?" Asked Tiger, who had so far remained quiet as he assimilated the information.

"**I'm… not sure, but according to Father, the younger you are when this power appears, the greater the threat to the world. I think the only reason it only manifested in Hamura-ojisan **_**after**_** Grandfather's passing was because there can be only **_**one **_**wielder of this power at a time. The threat the Jubi posed to the world necessitated a new wielder, though Hamura-ojisan didn't possess anywhere **_**near **_**the level of power or control Grandfather did."**

"**Also, another catalyst that prompts its awakening is a sensation of immense grief and loss or being in an incredibly traumatic situation. In Naruto's case, I believe it was the latter of the two. For Hamura-ojisan, it was the loss of Grandfather and Grandmother. Of course, going by the first condition, since Naruto awakened it at such a young age, I fear that dark times are approaching for the world."**

The shinobi exchanged nervous glances at that, then Kurama focused his gaze on the Third. **"By the way Hokage, when do you plan to tell Naruto about his parents?" **

Hiruzen frowned in thought. "I'd love to tell him sooner, but until he can properly defend himself, he would be an easy target for any would-be assassins. Did you have a timeframe in mind?"

"**That is something you should ask Naruto, not me. It would be better if **_**you **_**decided the best time though. Naruto is still a little too immature to handle the information now. But I wouldn't wait too long, otherwise he might hold it against you."**

Hiruzen sighed and nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Kyubi."

Kurama's eyes flashed with an unidentifiable emotion, and Naruto's expression firmed slightly, as though the fox had just made a decision. **"Kurama." **

The shinobi started. "Excuse me?" asked Hiruzen.

Naruto's lips curled into a small smile. **"My name is Kurama, and I will allow you to address me by it. Just… don't do it in public, I'd rather keep knowledge of my name on a need-to-know basis."**

The gathered shinobi just stared at Kurama, the significance of what he had just told them finally sinking in. Then, as one, they stood and bowed in respect, honoured that he trusted them enough to tell them his name. Kurama inclined Naruto's head in acceptance, then he released his hold on Naruto's body as the shinobi stood back up. Inside the mindscape, Kurama gave Naruto a brief summary of what he had discussed with the shinobi before releasing him.

Naruto snapped back into consciousness with a jolt. Looking around, he gave a wide smile. "Well, I don't know what Kurama was talking with you guys about, but let's go! I'm _starving_!" With that, he bolted out the door, laughing as he went, the amused shinobi hot on his heels.

Inside the seal, Kurama gave a small smile as he rested his head on his forearms, enjoying the sensation of his host's infectious joy flooding the mindscape, knowing that Naruto's life could only go up from here.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Here's Chapter 5, hope you all enjoy!

On a side note, I'll be on a brief hiatus for the next month due to finals. I'll be back during Christmas break though, so don't worry!

Disclaimer: All canonical characters, references, and abilities/techniques belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 5 – The Academy, New Friends, and a Secret Revealed

"Normal speech"

_'Thoughts'_

**"Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki speaking"**

**_'Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki thoughts'_**

~ Konohagakure, two years later ~

The sun rose over Konoha, bathing the village in the first rays of dawn. Already the citizens of the village were getting up and going about their day. The civilians made their way to work, opening stores and arranging goods, while the night watch shinobi were relieved of their duties by the day shift.

~ The Uchiha Compound ~

The youngest of the clan, Uchiha Sasuke, was getting ready for his first day at the Academy. He was currently gulping down his breakfast while his mother, Uchiha Mikoto, prepared his bag and lunch. Around the dining table sat his father, the clan head Uchiha Fugaku, and his older brother, Uchiha Itachi, prodigy of the Uchiha clan.

Mikoto glanced up from her packing just in time to see Sasuke stuff a particularly large helping of rice into his mouth. Her lips immediately set into a thin line. "Uchiha Sasuke! _What_ did I tell you about chewing your food?" Sasuke froze mid-chew and slowly shifted his head to look at his irate mother.

Nervously swallowing the mouthful of rice, he gave a sheepish grin. "Gomen, Kaasan, but I'm just really excited. I'm going to become a ninja just like Aniki!" Mikoto just shook her head, an amused smile playing on her lips.

Fugaku just set down his paper and looked his youngest son dead in the face. "You're enthusiastic, that's good. Hopefully you will do the clan proud, son." With that, he picked up the paper and went right back to reading, missing Sasuke's disheartened expression.

Mikoto frowned in concern while Itachi just sighed and ruffled Sasuke's hair, eliciting a, "Hey! Aniki!"

Itachi chuckled and stood up. "Come, Sasuke, we should go before we're late."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he looked at the clock and he jumped up and grabbed his bag and lunch before bolting out of the room, a yell of "BYEKAASANBYETOUSANILLSEEYOULATER!" echoing down the hall. Itachi smirked in amusement and calmly walked after Sasuke, his ANBU gear hidden underneath his long robes.

All over the village, this scene was being repeated in various households, to a certain extent. Outside the Nara Compound, the clan heir, Shikamaru yawned lazily while waiting for his surrogate brother, Akimichi Choji, a stout boy with a ravenous appetite, and his surrogate sister, Yamanaka Ino, a fashionable blonde with a motor mouth, to show up.

In the Haruno household, Sakura, the only daughter of Councilwoman Mebuki, rushed out the door, wanting to hurry to class so she could squeeze in some time with her best friend Ino.

At the Inuzuka Compound, young Inuzuka Kiba and his ninken Akamaru dashed out the door, wanting to arrive first to class. The heir of the Aburame clan, Shino, an intimidating boy who was dressed in a trench coat, and the heiress of the Hyuga clan, Hinata, who almost fell over as Kiba rushed past her, soon joined him.

~ Meanwhile, Naruto's apartment ~

Now one might expect Naruto to be just as excited as his peers to attend the Academy, and you would be right, if said blonde knucklehead wasn't currently asleep, tuckered out from his excitement the previous day. Over the past two years, he had grown tremendously, both mentally and emotionally, the regular interactions with his guardians and Kurama doing wonders for his psychological development. Physically though, he was still a bit of a midget, not that he minded. Various lessons from Dog, Weasel, and Jiraiya had drilled into him the knowledge that size does not always matter, his occasional prank on the ANBU and various villagers clearly illustrating that fact.

On the matter of his ferrokinetic powers, classified as such seeing as he was only able to manipulate metal with them, he had improved by leaps and bounds, in no small part due to Kurama's help. He could now sense and control any metal within 500 meters of his position, though he needed to maintain line of sight with any metal that he wished to manipulate with higher levels of dexterity. The Hokage had been surprised by his rapid growth, especially when Kurama told him that Naruto's power would increase exponentially as he grew older.

**"And that's not even _considering _what he could do with his chakra reserves." **Kurama had said, nearly causing Hiruzen to keel over in shock.

On another note, Hiruzen had promised Naruto that he would tell Naruto of his parents, and the reason the Fourth chose him to be Kurama's vessel, when he became a genin, trusting that the boy would be mature enough by then to take the news well. Naruto had not liked the idea of having to wait, but Kurama set him straight on that soon enough.

At present though, Naruto was curled up in his bed, fast asleep, the mangled remains of an alarm clock clearly visible on the floor next to his bed. As the sun peeked in through the curtains, sending a ray of light lancing across his face, Naruto just rolled over and buried his head under his pillow with a mumble.

Inside the seal, Kurama's tails were twitching in annoyance at his vessel's laziness. **_'Alright, I think he's slept in for _long _enough.' _**Taking in a deep breath, the biju roared, **"OI! NARUTO! WAKE! UP!"**

Naruto bolted upright in shock, reflexively ripping several of his practice kunai from the bulls-eye on the other side of the room as he did so. He looked around his room with wide eyes as the kunai lazily orbited his bed. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, except his crushed alarm clock, _'Oh man, that's the third one this month!'_ he dropped the kunai on the floor and turned his thoughts inwards. _'What's the big idea waking me up like that Kurama?'_

**"Well, if you'd look at the time…" **snarked the Biju, his expression half-amused, half-exasperated.

Naruto blinked in confusion, and levitated his spare clock in front of his face. He stared blankly at the time for several seconds, then his eyes widened. "AHHHH! I'm gonna be LATE!" He screamed and bolted out of his room, ignoring the raucous laughter coming from his tenant.

One quick shower and a breakfast of cereal and yogurt later (Jiraiya had insisted that Naruto eat other things besides ramen in the mornings), he was out the door and tearing down the street. Fortunately, he kept a spare set of clothes, an orange and black jumpsuit (mini version of the Shippuden jumpsuit) with a black cloak thrown over it, in the bathroom for just such an occasion, negating the need to grab them from his closet after showering.

As he ran, he mentally screamed at his friend, _'Dangit Kurama, why didn't you wake me sooner?' _

Kurama shrugged carelessly. **"I had hoped that the alarm would be enough, clearly it wasn't." **

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. _'Oh, gee, you think?!' _

Kurama rolled his eyes. **"You weren't always this slow to wake, you know." **

_'Yeah, but that was _before _I moved into an apartment! I don't need to worry about being attacked now!' _Naruto half-whined.

Kurama just grunted. **"Pfft, details. You need to be able to wake up fast as a ninja you know. Now watch where you're going and let me sleep." **

Naruto just snorted in response and cut off the link, refocusing his attention on running just in time to dodge a cart that was crossing the street.

~ The Academy ~

Most of the first-year class had already arrived, with only the last few stragglers trickling in. At the front of the class, newly promoted chunin and Academy Instructor Umino Iruka, a young man in his early twenties with a scar running along the bridge of his nose, studied his students with a small smile. Noticing the clan-born congregating at the back of the class, he watched on in interest as the children from the clans automatically gravitated together, most of them having met before on inter-clan meetings. Being so young, they had little care for the politics of the clans, and so had bonded quite well while their parents conversed. In fact, the only civilan-born in the group was Haruno Sakura, having been dragged into the group by Ino.

Iruka glanced up at the clock, noting that only five minutes remained until the class officially started. He stood up from his chair and made for the blackboard to write down some announcements, only for the sound of someone charging through the halls to distract him. Soon, most of the students glanced up in confusion as the running sounds grew louder, whoever it was rapidly approaching their class.

Suddenly, the door flew open and our favourite blonde barged into the room, nearly falling over as he hit the brakes. Ignoring the confused glances of his soon-to-be classmates, he checked the time before fist-pumping and yelling, "YATTA! I'm not late!"

Iruka stifled a snort at the ecstatic expression on his surrogate brother's face, the two having bonded ever since Iruka gave Naruto those paint bombs all those years ago. Deciding to announce his presence, seeing as how Naruto was too busy rejoicing at not being late to notice him, Iruka cleared his throat. "Ahem, I understand that you're happy at arriving on time, Naruto-kun, but perhaps you could find a seat?"

Naruto's head snapped towards him in surprise, then his mouth split into a gigantic smile as the jump-hugged the chunin. "IRUKA-NII! What're you _doing _here?" He yelled in joy, not noticing the surprised expressions on the faces of the students.

Iruka just ruffled Naruto's hair, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Didn't I tell you that I was an Instructor this year?"

Naruto blinked, then he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh yeah, hehe."

Iruka rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "You forgot, didn't you?" Naruto just ducked his head and blushed.

Meanwhile, the clan-born and Sakura were all studying the newest arrival with interest, even the chronically lazy Shikamaru. They had heard of the blonde enigma from their parents, but they had never seen him before, until now. With the other students though, whispers of, "That's the boy my parents told me to avoid", and, "I heard he's a bad person, Kaasan said so" were beginning to percolate.

Shikamaru overheard one of the students next to him, a purple-haired girl named Ami, murmuring something about Naruto being a "monster in human skin" and shook his head in annoyance. Ever observant, Shino glanced over at Shikamaru and imperceptibly raised an eyebrow. "Shikamaru-san, is something wrong?"

Shikamaru just sighed. "Troublesome. It's nothing Shino, just irritated that they're judging the new guy without getting to know him first." He laid his head back on the table. "So troublesome."

Ino rolled her eyes, barely resisting the urge to slap her surrogate bother upside the head for his laziness. "So what should we do then?" Demanded Kiba, Akamaru sitting comfortably on his head. "My Kaasan told me I should try and make friends with him. She said he has no pack of his own." The young Inuzuka looked uncomfortable, the idea of being all alone clearly foreign to him. "That's not good."

Sasuke nodded. "My Aniki and Kaasan told me to do the same thing. Maybe we should try and get to know him then huh?" He glanced around the group. "What do you guys think?" The others exchanged glances and nodded as one, determined not to let Naruto remain friendless.

Suddenly Hinata, who was busy studying Naruto, started as he glanced in her direction. Feeling embarrassed, she averted her gaze and pushed her fingers together nervously, a light blush on her face.

Ino looked over in surprise. "Hinata?" The Hyuga did not react at first, then Ino tapped her head, snapping her out of her daze.

"Huh? Oh, a-ano… s-sorry, Ino-san." Stammered Hinata, embarrassed at having been caught like that.

Ino rolled her eyes. "_Why_ are you apologizing already Hinata? You didn't do anything!" Hinata just flushed and looked down again, earning amused looks from several of the others at her shyness.

Before any of them could start ribbing her, Naruto, who had finished speaking with Iruka, started walking in their direction, looking for a place to sit. As he approached, the clan-born and Sakura noted that most of the other students would subtly shift so that all the chairs nearest to Naruto were filled, forcing him to travel further to the back of the class.

Sasuke in particular noticed that Naruto, while acting oblivious, was actually fully aware of what was happening, and ignoring it, much to the Uchiha's confusion. _'Why would he just _let _them do that? He doesn't even look surprised, if anything, he seems to almost… expect it.'_

Eventually, Naruto's route took him right up to their little group. As he was about to pass them, Kiba tapped his arm, prompting Naruto to look down in surprise, several metal bars in the windows rattling quietly in response to his surprise.

"Hey, uh, Naruto, right?" Naruto nodded slowly, his eyes wide at this unexpected turn of events as Kiba grinned broadly. "I'm Kiba, and this," he gestured at the ninken on his head, "is Akamaru. Want to sit with us?" He asked, gesturing at the rest of the group, who were looking at Naruto expectantly. The resulting silence was almost deafening as even Iruka whirled around from the board to stare in shock.

Naruto just stared at Kiba, his mind whirring furiously as he ran through all the possible reasons for Kiba to suddenly ask him to sit with them. Sensing his indecision, Kurama, who had woken up when Naruto froze in shock, snorted. **"Oi, Naruto, answering him sometime today might be nice." **Naruto didn't reply, still too stunned by the proposal to do anything. As the silence stretched on, the clan group began to shuffle around awkwardly while the rest of the students studiously ignored the drama unfolding at the back of the class.

Kiba tilted his head curiously, then he looked back at his friends and shrugged, mouthing, "Now what?" Ino rolled her eyes, muttering "Boys" under her breath as she stood up and snapped her fingers in front of Naruto's eyes. "Oi, Naruto!" she barked. "You there?"

Naruto started and blinked in confusion, then his gaze locked onto Ino with an intensity that made her shiver. "You're serious? You _actually _want me to sit with you guys?" Ino's mouth fell open at the blunt question while the others in the group exchanged glances.

"W-wha… of course we do! Why _else _would we ask?" demanded the blonde, her hands on her hips, an affronted expression on her face. "Think you're too good for us or something?" Shikamaru and Choji flinched, recognizing Ino's tone as one that heralded either a loud lecture or a beat down.

Naruto, sensing that he seemed to have offended her, a talent he had developed from watching Jiraiya get wailed on by women, decided to explain himself quickly, lest she deck him. Rapidly waving his hands in front of his face in a manner very similar to his godfather, he said, "No, no, no, that's not it at all!"

Ino raised an eybrow, clearly unimpressed. "Then what is it?"

Naruto paused, unsure of how to word his next statement. "Well… it's just… no one's _ever _asked me to sit with them before. It… just surprised me is all." He shrugged and allowed his gaze to wander to the window, missing the surprised and sympathetic looks the group shot him.

After several seconds, Sasuke shifted in his seat, pulling out the chair in the empty spot next to him. "Well come on then. Sit down." Naruto glanced at the Uchiha and barely repressed a flinch at the sight of his clan symbol. Swallowing nervously, Naruto slowly walked over and sat down, looking as though he expected the chair to explode or something. No one noticed the metal leg of another chair warping slightly as his nerves acted up.

Once he had seated himself, the entire group focused on him, looking as though there were preparing to interrogate him. Fortunately, Iruka, who had, mercifully, decided to begin the lesson by taking attendance, saved him.

"Alright class, now that everyone's here." The chunin double-checked the class register just to be sure. "Let us begin. I know that this is your first day in the Academy, and, by extension, your first steps to becoming true shinobi of Konoha." He looked around the class, taking in all the bright-eyed children with a small smile. "Now, as you all know, you will spend the next six years learning here. This year and next year, we will be covering some basic education: reading, writing, mathematics, history, geography, and some beginner kunai and shuriken techniques. During your third year, we will begin branching you out into shinobi and kunoichi classes, and your lessons will become more in depth and difficult." Several students had begun to pale slightly at the prospect of harder lessons in the future.

"Don't look so nervous, I'm sure that all of you will make it through to the sixth year. Then, if you pass the Genin Exam, you will officially become shinobi. But you _must _work hard, or you will never get there. Understand, class?"

"Hai, Iruka-sensei!" Chorused the students eagerly, their expressions bright. Iruka just grinned as he turned back to the board. "Alright then, the first lesson of today is…"

~ A year and a half later, lunchtime at the Academy ~

Naruto and friends, whom Iruka had dubbed the Academy Nine, seeing as they were pretty much inseparable after the first month, were currently relaxing in the field just outside the Academy. In the past year, they had quickly assimilated Naruto into their group, despite somewhat fierce animosity from several of the other students towards Naruto.

Initially, of course, Naruto was very closed off around them, his body language screaming of distrust and uncertainty. It was only after their second week as friends that Naruto had really began to relax and open up around them, though Kurama, Iruka, _and_ the Hokage had to convince Naruto that they weren't going to betray him for that to happen. Granted, there were still some parts of Naruto's life that remained secret, primarily his powers and Kurama, as he did not yet feel comfortable with them knowing about either secret. The former, for fear that they would see him as a freak, the latter, for fear that they would hate him.

In regards to their lessons, the Nine had unanimously agreed that most of their lessons were dryer than Sunagakure, especially Naruto, who found it extremely tedious to sit still for hours and listen to Iruka drone on. Now, do not get him wrong, he loved Iruka like a brother, but sometimes he had to admit that Iruka could be very… boring. So, about halfway through the first year, he had begun to subtly play pranks on various individuals in the classroom to liven the atmosphere, usually those who bullied him or one of his friends. Even some of the more malicious teachers got pranked, albeit not as badly as the students. Though the evidence never led back to him, it was increasingly obvious that he was responsible, especially since none of the Nine or Iruka _ever _got pranked.

Also, over their summer break, the Nine had taken turns visiting each other at their respective homes for training or just to hang out. Well, all their homes except for Naruto's that is. Naruto had thus far been very reluctant to show them where he lived, partly because his apartment was far too small for such a large group, but mostly because several of the more malicious shinobi had started to carve insults and curses into his walls and door.

Naruto also made an effort to not draw attention to the way the villagers looked at him as he walked down the street, though with most of his friends coming from shinobi clans, they easily noticed the way he was treated. However, when they confronted him about it, he just laughed it off and told them that he had just ticked off quite a few people with his pranks before. That excuse placated their curiosity, though Shikamaru was skeptical.

At present, they were discussing the live-fire weapons demonstration that Iruka and another Instructor, Mizuki, had set up for the students after lunch. The demonstration was intended to show the students how best to react when attacked in close quarters and at long range by kunai and shuriken. Predictably, the only ones who were overly excited about this were Sasuke, Naruto, and Kiba, the three having been designated the group's resident hotheads. Shikamaru thought it was troublesome to have to watch the teachers fake fight, while the others were just interested in observing the fight and gleaning all that they could out of it. Just then, the bell rang and the Nine joined the rest of their class in heading for the sparring field.

~ The Academy sparring field ~

Iruka and Mizuki watched their students file in, pleased at their punctuality. _'Then again,' _thought Iruka wryly, _'most of them are pretty excited at watching Mizuki and I go at it.' _As he finished his thought, he noticed the Nine amble in, talking and laughing with each other the whole while. His eyes found Naruto, who was laughing at a joke Kiba had told him, and he smiled, glad to see his surrogate brother surrounded by friends.

Mizuki noticed the same thing Iruka did, only his thought process was a little different. _'That Demon Brat. How _dare _he corrupt the clans of Konoha. I have just the thing to deal with him.' _Mizuki allowed a small smirk to flash across his face as he concocted a plan, half listening to Iruka give some last minute instructions to the students.

"Alright kids, I want all of you to sit over there," he pointed at the bleachers in the corner, "and pay close attention, I expect all of you to use some of these maneuvers during your spars. Most of what you will see are basic methods of fighting an opponent, armed or otherwise. Now remember, what you're about to see works best if you and your opponent are about the same level. If you have any questions, you can ask them after the demonstration, understand?"

At the nods of the students, Iruka smiled and turned to Mizuki with a grin. "Ready Mizuki?" Mizuki grinned back. "Oh yeah. Think you can keep up Iruka?"

Iruka just crouched down, his hands held up in a guard position, several shuriken held between his fingers. "Can you?" Mizuki laughed and shifted his left leg backwards, holding a pair of kunai in reverse grip.

The two chunin stared at each other, waiting for a certain leaf to hit the ground. As the leaf drifted lower, the students were nearly bouncing in their seats from anticipation. Naruto, who had managed to grab a front row seat next to Sasuke, had to forcefully restrain himself to prevent his powers from warping the bleachers. Mentally noting Naruto's position, Mizuki's gaze narrowed slightly in approval, _'Perfect. He's in position. Now all I need is to set the trap.' _Then the leaf touched the earth and the chunin shot towards each other.

Mizuki started off with a high swing, aiming for Iruka's throat. Iruka jumped to the side and flung his shuriken at Mizuki, forcing him back. As Mizuki backpedaled, Iruka whipped out his own kunai, throwing one, which Mizuki dodged, and lunging with the other, aiming for a thrust that would stab Mizuki in the collarbone. Mizuki's eyes narrowed and he sidestepped, grabbed Iruka's wrist, and swung him at a tree.

Iruka twisted in mid air and bounced off the tree, landing back in his guard stance. Mizuki smirked. "Come on Iruka, you're going to have to do better than that to get a hit on me." Iruka smirked and held up his hand, a strand of ninja wire clutched in his fist. "I know." Mizuki's eyes widened, and he dodged to the side just in time to miss the kunai he had dodged earlier, pulled back by the ninja wire. When he recovered from the surprise attack, the two locked eyes and charged at each other again.

~ With the students ~

The students were enraptured by their instructors' performance. Naruto was literally bouncing on his seat in excitement, while Sasuke was silently lamenting not having his Sharingan to be able to memorize the duel. Even Shikamaru had stopped staring at the clouds to watch, his mind analyzing each move made and thinking of a half dozen different ways to counter it.

As Naruto turned to Kiba, who was sitting just behind him, to say something, Mizuki had managed to get Iruka into just the right position to act. _'That's it! You're going down, demon!' _Thought the chunin viciously as he threw a kunai at Iruka. Just as the thought entered his mind, Kurama's head snapped up, roused from his slumber by the sudden spike in negative intent.

Predictably, Iruka dodged, only to realize too late that the kunai was heading straight for Naruto. He whirled around, eyes wide in fear. "Naruto, MOVE!" Naruto's head snapped around in surprise, his pupils contracting reflexively as adrenaline surged through his body. Inside the seal, Kurama snarled in rage, unable to do anything but watch helplessly.

Sasuke, who, like many of the other students, had seen the kunai approaching and reflexively jerked to the side, realized that Naruto could not react in time. The Nine watched in horror as the kunai seemed to approach Naruto in slow motion, then Naruto snapped his eyes shut and flung his hands up in front of him as though to shield himself, and the kunai stopped dead in mid air.

A stunned silence filled the field as everyone stared in shock at the floating kunai. Noting the silence and the lack of pain, Naruto slowly peeked his eyes open to see everyone staring at him with wide eyes. _'Why's everyone looking at me like that?' _

**"You… might want to get ready to explain yourself Naruto." **Rumbled Kurama, hiding his relief that Naruto had managed to stop the kunai.

_'W-what do you mean?' _stammered Naruto nervously.

Kurama closed his eyes and lowered his head back onto his forelegs. **"Lower your hands and see for yourself."**

Naruto raised an eyebrow quizzically and did so. Upon seeing the floating kunai, his eyes bulged and he swallowed nervously. Slowly turning to the still silent class, he completely missed the sudden flash of rage that appeared in Mizuki's eyes, though Kurama noted the sudden surge in negative intent with a frown, recognizing it as the same person from whom he sensed it earlier.

Shikamaru was the first to snap out of it, his head tilted slightly as he regarded Naruto. "Naruto… what was that?" Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, causing the kunai to clatter to the ground as he lost concentration.

"Eh… I have, uh… powers?" he stammered out uncertainly. That got everyone to start talking at once. The Nine in particular had congregated off to the side, away from the bleachers, and started discussing the enigma that was Uzumaki Naruto.

As the students talked, Iruka walked up to Naruto, his expression disbelieving. "You know, I thought you were joking when you told me you were ferrokinetic." He shook his head in wonder. "That was incredible."

Naruto grinned, feeling a sudden urge to show off. "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet Iruka-sensei. Watch _this_."

Everyone whipped their heads around at that statement, just in time to see Naruto hold out his hand, palm up, and furrow his brow in concentration. Naruto stretched out his senses, feeling for loose bits of metal lying around. When he sensed a rather sizeable stack of kunai lying on a table in the next field, which happened to be for target practice, he mentally grabbed hold of the metal and _pulled_.

His audience waited patiently, then they heard the unmistakable whistling sound of kunai in flight. They looked up and their jaws dropped at the sight of over fifty kunai rocketing over the treetops. Their heads snapped down to Naruto, who was looking up at the kunai, a small smile on his face, then back up at the kunai.

Naruto snorted in amusement at their expressions and twitched a finger, sending the kunai into a slow downward spiral towards him. When they got within three feet of him, they froze in mid air and formed three rings before beginning to orbit his body, blades facing outward. Everyone reflexively flinched at the sight, feeling slightly intimidated at seeing so many blades pointing at them. Naruto lowered his hand and looked at a nearby tree, the kunai breaking formation to hover menacingly around him. Then he flicked a finger and the kunai shot towards the tree like missiles, their forward velocity great enough to form pressure cones around their tips.

The kunai hammered into the tree with a staccato thumping sound, burying themselves hilt-deep into the wood. Naruto grinned, taking in the symbol of Konoha that he had hammered out into the wood using kunai. Turning to his wide-eyed audience, particularly his friends and surrogate brother, he spread his hands and asked hopefully, "So, what do you think?"

Shikamaru blinked, then he groaned and looked at the sky. "Just when I thought you couldn't get any more troublesome." The rest of the Nine gave him funny looks, then they burst out laughing at the extremely _Shikamaru _statement.

Naruto laughed the loudest, feeling a weight lift off his chest at the implied acceptance by Shikamaru, and, by extension, the rest of the group. In the Hokage Tower, Hiruzen and Team Ro watched via the Hokage's crystal ball, smiles of joy on their faces at Naruto's good fortune. Inside the seal, Kurama grinned. **_'Good for you, Naruto. Good for you.'_**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey all, I'm back! Enjoy the chapter and I'll see you all soon. Merry Christmas!

Disclaimer: All canonical characters, references, and abilities/techniques belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 6 – The Uchiha Massacre

"Normal speech"

_'Thoughts'_

**"Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki speaking"**

**_'Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki thoughts'_**

~ A year and five months later, the last month of the annual school holidays ~

Following the revelation of Naruto's powers to his class, most of the other students treated him as though he were a true freak of nature, shunning him whenever he was nearby. Their reactions hurt him greatly, but with the help of the Nine and Iruka, he quickly got over it, deciding that only the opinions of his friends truly mattered.

Of course, several of the Nine, namely Sasuke, Kiba, and Shikamaru, were rather miffed that Naruto had not told them about his powers sooner. When he confessed that he was afraid that they would treat him like the other students, he was treated to a pair of thunderous punches to the head, courtesy of Ino and Sakura, who then proceeded to berate him, loudly, for even thinking that. It was also on that day that the male members of the Nine developed a new found fear of the female gender.

Also, Kurama had warned Naruto about Mizuki, a message that he had in turn relayed to the Hokage. Unfortunately, seeing as there was no concrete evidence of Mizuki's intentions, Hiruzen was unable to do anything other than advise Naruto to keep his eyes open.

On the bright side, Mizuki had, for the moment at least, ceased any attempts on Naruto's life, though for what reason no one was sure. He had even attempted to play nice with Naruto, though Kurama's ability to sense negative intent prevented him, and, by extension, Naruto from being fooled.

In other news, Sasuke had passed the rite of passage of the Uchiha: performing a successful Fireball Techinique. He had proudly shown it off to his friends after school one day, only to discover that Naruto was pyrophobic, seeing as he started hyperventilating upon seeing the technique. It took several minutes for them to calm him down enough to talk, even with, though they did not know it, Kurama's help. When pressed, Naruto merely said that he had a bad incident with fire once and left it at that. No amount of prodding could get him to say any more on the subject.

In regards to their schooling, most of the Nine were in the upper third of the class, with the exception of Shikamaru, who just did the bare minimum to pass, and Naruto, who had to contend with the bias of the teachers. Additionally, at the behest of Iruka, each of the Nine had also begun to learn some other techniques to supplement the Academy basics. The clan-born were developing their clan techniques and were able to perform them with some degree of efficiency, though their youth limited them severely in certain aspects.

Sakura, inspired by Tsunade of the Sannin, had started learning chakra strength enhancement, and could now crack training logs with a single punch. She had also started reading up on medical ninjutsu along with Ino and Hinata, seeing as their superior chakra control would allow them to perform the techniques far better than the boys.

As for Naruto, he spent most of his time working on the chakra control exercises from the Academy as his massive reserves, easily low-Kage level, made performing any low-chakra techniques near impossible. He had also taken to bringing several metal spheres around with him so he could work on his ferrokinetic powers.

However, there was trouble brewing in the shadows. Sasuke had confessed to the Nine that tensions in his home were at an all time high as of late, his father had been arguing with his mother and brother every day for the past few months, and Sasuke was getting worried. He had also noticed how his fellow Uchiha were eyeing the other villagers with a mix of disdain and distrust, particularly those from other clans. It had gotten so bad that he could not even bring his friends into the compound for training like they used to do. He had even overheard several of his clansmen whispering about a plan of some sort, though they always clammed up when they noticed him.

Shikamaru, being the smartest and most observant of the group, though his demeanor would suggest otherwise, mentioned that his father had been pulling late shifts and all-nighters for a while now, a shocking change of events, given the Nara laziness. He suspected that the sudden increase in the hostility of the Uchiha may have something to do with it, seeing as his father was the Jonin Commander and Strategic Advisor to the Hokage. The other clan-born added on that their own parents had been spending more time having council meetings, though it was common knowledge that most of the Clan Heads disliked attending those.

Additionally, Kurama had noted the rising tension in the village, and he had informed Naruto of the simmering negative intent in the Uchiha Compund. In response to that, Naruto had, given his pull with the Hokage and the ANBU higher-ups, decided to get some more information directly from them, much to the Nine's disbelief.

He dragged along the entire group for the ride, barging into the Hokage's office with a yell of, "HEY JIJI!" much to the shock of his friends. They were even more surprised when, instead of taking offence at the informal greeting, the Hokage merely smiled and replied, "Good morning, Naruto-kun and friends. To what do I owe this visit?"

In response to the question, Naruto gestured with a finger, shutting and locking the door, before his expression turned serious, the transformation so swift and complete that his friends were shocked into silence. Even Hiruzen and the hidden Team Ro felt shvers run up their spines as the image of Namikaze Minato temporarily overlaid that of Naruto, the boy's sky-blue eyes taking on a determined glint so much like his father. "What's going on with the Uchiha, Jiji? And don't try telling us that it's nothing, we're not that oblivious."

Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly and he swiftly flashed through a series of hand-signs before slamming his hand on his desk, causing a sealing array to light up and fill the room. After the light had faded, the Hokage leaned forward, all traces of the grandfatherly old man gone, leaving the Kami no Shinobi gazing down at his subordinates. The hidden ANBU subtly straightened at the sight of the steel in the old man's eyes, and Naruto's expression firmed, ignoring his now extremely nervous friends cowering behind him. "What do you know, Naruto?"

Naruto hesitated and glanced over his shoulder, silently asking for permission from his friends. At their shaky nods, he locked eyes with the Hokage before replying, "Sasuke has noticed that most of the Uchiha have begun to withdraw from the village, and that his father seems to be upset about something. He has also mentioned several Uchiha talking about a plan of some sort. Also, we know that the clan heads have been holding more meetings than usual, and we all know how much they dislike those meetings. Something's up, and it involves the Uchiha Clan, doesn't it?"

Hiruzen blinked, then he leaned back into his chair with a sigh as he massaged his temples. "I… can't tell you that, Naruto. You know I can't." Naruto frowned, ignoring the subtle messages from his friends to just _let it be_.

"Normally I'd agree with you, but if this involves one of _my _friends, I _need _to know." His expression turned pleading. "_Please_, Jiji?" Hiruzen pressed his lips together in thought, then he gestured at Team Ro to reveal themselves.

Once the ANBU were out of hiding, the Hokage pulled out his pipe and pointed at Weasel. "Weasel, I'll leave this up to you to explain." Ordered the old man, before beginning to puff on his pipe.

Team Ro exchanged glances, then Dog raised a hand uncertainly. "Uh, Hokage-sama, are you sure?"

Hiruzen locked eyes with Dog and said, "I trust Naruto, and if he trusts them enough to bring them here, then so do I." His gaze shifted to Weasel. "Do it." Weasel nodded and turned to the Academy students before taking off his mask.

Once the mask was removed, Sasuke's eyes bulged in shock. "A-aniki? You know what's going on?" The rest of the Nine just stared at Itachi in surprise, not expecting _the _Uchiha Itachi to be in Team Ro.

Itachi smiled sadly as he knelt down to look Sasuke in the eye. "Hai. I… didn't want you involved." He looked away. "The clan has started down a dark path, one I didn't want you following."

Sasuke frowned. "Dark path or not, I have a right to know Aniki! It's my family too!" At Itachi's silence, his expression turned pleading, "What's going on?"

"Haven't you ever wondered why you're the only Uchiha your age in the entire compound? Why there haven't been any newborn Uchiha since?" Asked Itachi, deflecting the question with one of his own.

Sasuke's brow furrowed in confusion. "Well, yeah, but what's that have to do with anything?"

Itachi's lip curled slightly. "It was a clan-wide agreement, one that came into force _after _your birth. One that was set up in order to prevent the loss or orphaning of young Uchiha lives when they enacted their plan."

Sasuke swallowed nervously. "P-plan? What plan?"

Itachi opened his mouth, and hesitated, which only served to enhance Sasuke's worry: Itachi _never _hesitated. "The, uh, the clan…" The Nine began to twitch in anticipation, sensing that what they were about to hear would change everything. In the seal, Kurama's ears twitched up in interest, his body going stock-still. "The clan is planning a coup. They intend to attack the other clan compounds to cripple the village defenses, then usurp the Hokage position by force."

The children gasped in horror, even the normally stoic Shino, varying expressions of disbelief on their faces, the shinobi all looked down in defeat, and Kurama rose to his feet with a bellow of rage. Itachi noticed none of this, his eyes focused on the utterly devastated look on Sasuke's face. "A c-coup? T-tousan's _part _of this?"

Itachi closed his eyes, hiding the grief that shone within them. "He's the leader. He _ordered _it."

Sasuke took a step back in shock, his eyes beginning to tear up. "No…"

Itachi raised a hand towards him, his expression pleading. "Sasuke…"

"NO! You're lying! T-tousan wouldn't do that!" Screamed Sasuke, his body trembling.

Itachi pressed his lips together and slowly walked towards Sasuke, who had pushed himself up against the wall, ignoring the concerned gazes from the rest of the Nine.

"Sasuke, listen to me." Itachi ordered, his tone half commanding, half pleading.

"Stop it! He wouldn't! He wouldn't… he…" Sasuke trailed off as he locked eyes with Itachi and saw the horrifying truth reflected within. With a choked gasp, he began to sob brokenly, tears flowing from his eyes down his cheeks as he huddled into a ball, rocking back and forth, the image he had built up of his noble father falling to pieces. Itachi felt his heart shatter at the sight of his beloved brother looking so lost, so, abandoning protocol, he immediately knelt down and embraced the younger Uchiha in a hug.

As he gently rocked his weeping brother back and forth, he murmured, "It's alright, it's alright…" into Sasuke's ear. Sasuke just clutched onto Itachi's robes like a lifeline, burying his face into his brother's chest as his body heaved with sobs while his friends and the other shinobi looked on sadly.

Eventually, Sasuke calmed down enough to speak coherently, and he pulled away from Itachi, a small smile and a light blush on his face. "T-thanks, Aniki."

Itachi chuckled and poked Sasuke's forehead, eliciting a pout from the boy. "My pleasure, Otouto."

"Aniki! Don't _do_ that!" Complained Sasuke as he rubbed his forehead, his ears turning slightly red from embarrasment.

Itachi smirked. "Do what? This?" He jabbed Sasuke's forehead again, earning amused snorts from Kiba and Choji.

Before Sasuke could retort, Naruto's faint murmur of, "So _that's _what having a family's like" stopped everyone dead. Naruto blinked as everyone's gaze locked onto him, then he blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, his eyes squinted shut and a foxy grin on his face. "Oh, did I, uh, did I say that out loud?" The others looked at him sadly for a moment, reminded once again that, despite how close Naruto was to the Hokage, Team Ro, and his friends, at the end of the day, he went home to an empty house.

Noting the sudden change in mood, Naruto held up his hands, his expression serious. "Hey, guys, come on. We've been over this. I'm _fine_." At their unconvinced expressions, he rolled his eyes. "Let's just focus on the real issue here, huh? You can yell at me later." The Nine just shot him unconvinced looks, causing him to sweatdrop.

Hiruzen snorted in amusement before his expression turned somber. "He's right." The Hokage turned to look at the children. "Now then, as you already heard, the Uchiha clan are planning a coup. Fortunately for Sasuke, Mikoto-san is not involved, and as such will not suffer any repercussions." Sasuke sighed in relief, his body slumping against his brother.

Shikamaru, who had thus far been running over the entire scenario in his head, looked up. "Only Sasuke, Itachi-san, and Mikoto-sama are not involved? So few?"

Itachi sighed, feeling a deep sense of loss well up in his chest. "Well, there _was _Shisui, but he d-died three days ago."

Sasuke's head snapped up in shock, both at the news and his brother's stutter. "Shisui-nii's _dead_?! What happened?!"

Itachi shook his head slowly. "He and I were reporting the clan's activities to Hokage-sama. He… he knew that Tousan was onto him, so during a spar he…"

After several seconds, Sasuke prompted, "Aniki?"

Itachi clenched his fist. "He stabbed himself on my sword, to throw the clan off the scent." Sasuke flinched and looked down.

"The clan's going to tear itself apart, isn't it?" whispered the younger Uchiha, his expression broken.

Naruto pursed his lips and walked over to Sasuke, pulling the young Uchiha into a one-armed hug. "Hey, don't worry about it. If I know Jiji, he'll figure something out." He looked up. "Won't you?"

Hiruzen sighed in defeat. "Unfortunately, negotiations with the clan have been… getting worse. I fear that there may be only one way to stop the coup at this point."

Shikamaru's gaze sharpened at the unsaid implication. "You're going to wipe them out?"

Sasuke choked and the rest of the Nine stared at the Hokage with wide eyes. Then Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously and he hissed out, "_What_? You're going to order them all _killed_?!" causing everyone to flinch at the venom in his tone. Noting his host's rising anger, Kurama's head snapped up.

**"Naruto, relax!" **Roared the fox, worried that he would do something that he would come to regret.

Fortunately, Naruto heard him and began to take deep breaths in order to calm down. The others in the room looked around warily as every piece of metal in the room began to rattle in tandem with Naruto's breaths. When he had calmed down enough that the screws in the chairs were no longer rattling, Ino spoke up, her eyes wide, "Hokage-sama, surely there's another way?"

Dog shook his head and answered for his leader. "Trust me, Ino-san, we've tried _everything_. This might be our only option if we want to save the village and prevent another war."

"W-war?" stammered Hinata, her face pale.

Itachi nodded. "Hai, the peace between the Nations is still very fragile. A coup could start another Shinobi World War."

"Ok, ok." muttered Sasuke, his mind still reeling. "So, if it _does _come down to that, who's going to kill off the clan?"

"I will." Uttered Itachi, a note of finality in his voice as the students stared at him in shock. "I will spare you and Kaasan though. You're all I have left."

"Y-you?" Stammered Sasuke. "B-but you _hate _killing!"

"If I need to kill to prevent a war, then I will." He locked eyes with his brother. "You weren't alive during the last war, Sasuke. You didn't see how monstrous it was. I did, and I am willing to do _whatever _is necessary to keep that from happening again."

Hiruzen cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, if this _does _come to pass, Itachi will become a missing-nin. The truth will have to be covered up until Konoha is strong enough to withstand the political repercussions of such information getting out."

Itachi bowed. "If that's what is needed, Hokage-sama." The Nine just stared numbly at Itachi, shocked by his selflessness.

Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, but Itachi placed a hand on his head. "Sasuke, I'm trusting _you _to look after Kaasan, ok? Hopefully I will be able to return one day, but I want you to promise me that you will become the shinobi that I know you can be." Sasuke's mouth worked up and down several times, then he swallowed and nodded, unshed tears in his eyes. Itachi smiled. "Good."

Hiruzen gave a sad smile of his own, then he addressed the students. "Alright, now I don't want _any _of you to breath a _word _of what you've heard in here to anyone. This is an S-class secret, understand?" Their expressions firmed as they straightened up and saluted.

"Hai, Hokage-sama/Jiji!" They barked in unison.

Hiruzen nodded in acceptance. "Good." He flashed through some hand-signs and slapped the table, deactivating the privacy barrier. "Dismissed."

As the children filed out, murmuring quietly among themselves, Hiruzen settled back into his chair with a sigh, his hands massaging his temples. Cat placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder, the latter having put his mask back on. "It'll be alright, Weasel." The Uchiha glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "I hope so Cat, I hope so."

~ Two weeks later, the Hokage's Office, midnight ~

Despite all of the Hokage's efforts, the Uchiha clan were following through with the coup. Itachi brought the dire news to the Hokage earlier that day, and Hiruzen now felt the full weight of all his years upon him. Hiruzen sighed sadly before his expression hardened. "Alright, then we have no choice. Are you ready, Itachi?"

Itachi bowed. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen nodded. "Very well. Are Mikoto and Sasuke out of the compound?"

"Hai, I brought them over to Haruno-sama's house." At Hiruzen's curious expression, Itachi elaborated, "Kaasan and Mebuki-sama are close friends."

Hiruzen nodded, then he asked, tentatively, "Do they know what's going to happen?"

Itachi hesitated. "Yes, I told them before I left them there."

The Hokage sighed once more. "I'm sorry it had to turn out like this, Itachi."

"It's not your fault, Hokage-sama. It's the clan's." His eyes hardened and morphed into the Sharingan. "Let's finish this."

~ The Uchiha Compound ~

A quartet of chunin-ranked Uchiha and one jonin-ranked Uchiha were patrolling the South wall, their senses alert for any intruders. As they passed each other, they activated their Sharingan and glanced around, looking for any sudden flares of chakra or any sign of an approaching individual. Now, normally, sneaking past four chunin and one jonin in such an open area would be incredibly difficult, even for ANBU, doubly so when said chunin and jonin possessed a legendary dojutsu and were on a hair trigger. However, Itachi was no mere shinobi, he was the greatest Uchiha to have been born since Madara himself, a prodigy on par with Hatake Sakumo, and most importantly, he knew the compound defences inside and out.

The first indication that something was wrong was when two of the chunin collapsed, their throats torn out by a lightning-fast figure wielding a tanto. The other three Uchiha, not realizing the gravity of the situation, ambled over curiously, only for the same figure to blindside them and slit their necks. As they collapsed, the figure straightened up, the moonlight revealing the impassive expression of Uchiha Itachi as he gazed down at his former clansmen.

Closing his eyes, he offered up a silent prayer for the five dead Uchiha, then vanished, blurring along the walls, cutting down the rest of the sentries before they even noticed him. After the last sentry fell silent, he vanished into the compound itself, utilizing his phenomenal speed and preternatural stealth and agility to flit from house to house like a wraith, leaving a trail of cooling corpses in his wake. His black cloak combined with the dim moonlight and the late-night fog made him appear almost ethereal, an angel of death who had come to punish the corrupt.

However, it was not all smooth sailing. Every so often, he would enter a house where one or more of the individuals within were shinobi, or he would encounter one of the late-night sentries wandering the streets. Granted, he dealt with them swiftly, a stab here and a slit throat there, but every second he was delayed made it all the more likely that someone would wake up and notice the dead bodies.

Fortunately, he arrived at the last house, his own, located at the center of the compound, without incident. Silently sneaking into his parent's bedroom, he made to stab at the lump on the bed, only for his danger sense to kick in. Ducking, he barely missed a katana flashing through the space where his neck used to be. Jumping over the bed, he whirled around, his tanto held in a reverse grip as he glared at his father, who was dressed in dueling robes, his katana held at the ready.

"So, you have chosen to betray us then, Itachi?" Snarled Fugaku, his grip tightening on the hilt of his weapon.

Itachi sighed and flipped his tanto around so he now held it in a forward grip, his eyes never leaving his father. "You're the one who wanted to betray the village, _Tousan_. Our _home_. Do you not realize that such an act would have doomed us all?"

Fugaku laughed, a cold, cruel sound. "Bah! We are _Uchiha_! We were _born _to rule this pathetic village! You could have ruled at my side, Itachi! We would have been _gods_!" His gaze hardened. "But now, you must _die_."

Fugaku lunged at Itachi, katana gleaming in the dim light. Itachi's eyes narrowed and he swiftly darted out of the room into the hallway, where his shorter weapon would give him an advantage. His father barreled through the doorway after him, his katana swinging so fast the blade blurred into a solid mass. Itachi just narrowed his eyes and matched his father blow for blow, the narrow corridor allowing him to push his father back, the ring of their blades connecting echoing through the house.

~ Outside ~

The sliding doors leading to the backyard exploded outward as Fugaku was sent flying through them by a powerful kick. The clan head flipped over to land on his feet and skidded several meters before stopping, his clothing torn and his breathing uneven. Fugaku snarled under his breath as Itachi calmly walked out of the house, looking completely unruffled. Fugaku was widely regarded as one of the best swordsmen of his generation, outmatched in the art of the blade only by Uzumaki Kushina, and _she _could fight on par with Hozuki Mangetsu himself. However, as he took in Itachi's completely relaxed posture and untouched body, he was forced to acknowledge that Itachi had far surpassed him.

Itachi locked eyes with his father once more, the two Uchiha silently gauged each other before the dashed forward again, blades screaming through the air. After several seconds of them dashing past each other with only their blades connecting, Fugaku pumped chakra into his body to increase his speed, allowing him to pull off a slice that bisected Itachi from shoulder to hip. As Itachi's body fell, Fugaku allowed a small smile to flit across his face. His satisfaction only lasted for a moment however, because Itachi's 'corpse' promptly broke apart into crows.

His eyes widened and his head snapped around, frantically looking for Itachi. Suddenly, Itachi reappeared in front of him, his Sharingan spinning as they morphed into the eyes that had not been seen for decades, the Mangekyo Sharingan. Fugaku faltered in shock, mesmerized by the spinning tri-bladed shuriken that was Itachi's Mangekyo, only to realize too late that Itachi had ensnared him in a genjutsu.

Fugaku frantically tried scrambling his chakra to break the illusion, but as the sky turned red and the ground turned black, he realized that this illusion was _far _beyond his ability to break. Suddenly, he found himself bound, spread-eagled, to a wall as Itachi materialized in front of him. Itachi locked eyes with Fugaku and said, "Tousan, this… is Tsukiyomi, the ultimate genjustu. In here, time is irrelevant. In here, my will is made manifest. In here, I am a _god_." His eyes flashed with rage at the selfish, egotistical man before him, seeing nothing left of the father he had once loved and respected. "So, for the next seventy-two hours, you. Are. _Mine_." As Itachi pulled a rusty pair of gardening shears from somewhere behind him, Fugaku whimpered and promptly wet his pants.

~ Seventy-two hours later, three seconds in the real world ~

Fugaku collapsed, his mind unable to take the strain of the genjutsu. Itachi just gazed down at him impassively, absent-mindedly wiping away the blood that leaked from his eye. "I had hoped that it would not come to this, Tousan, but you left me no choice." Itachi slowly raised his tanto, a lone tear leaking from his eye. "Goodbye." He brought the blade down.

~ Outside Konoha, an hour later ~

Itachi was in full flight away from Konoha, having already sent his raven summon to inform the Hokage that the deed was done. As he dashed through the woods, his thoughts journeyed back to Sasuke and Mikoto. He closed his eyes and sent a silent prayer up to the gods, pleading for their safety.

When he opened his eyes again, he pulled out a sheet of paper given to him by Jiraiya. Glancing down at it, he began to read: "Itachi, I know what you did and why you did it. I will be honest with you, you are a far better shinobi that I will _ever _be. That is why I am asking this of you. I need you to infiltrate a recently revealed group that I have heard about. They consist of several S-rank missing-nin and they call themselves the Akatsuki."

~ The next day ~

On the morning after the Massacre, it did not take long for the conspicuous lack of Uchiha in the village to be noticed, and several ANBU were swiftly dispatched to the compound to investigate. Wondering at the lack of visible activity around the area, they entered it, only to discover the cold corpses of almost the entire clan lying where they fell. The ANBU swiftly reported the incident to the Hokage, and the old man, faking his surprise with such skill that even Team Ro were nearly fooled, immediately called a Council Meeting.

At the meeting, the news was delivered to the clan heads and the civilian leaders, earning several different reactions. The civilians were, for the most part, horrified, seeing as the Uchiha clan had been powerful financial supporters of many of their activities. These same individuals began to cry for the Hokage to "Bring the mass-murdering traitor to justice!" The only ones who were not shocked or angered in any way were Ichiraku Teuchi and Haruno Mebuki, both of whom had been informed by the Hokage about the planned coup. They did not like the path Itachi was forced to choose, but between that and another war, they preferred the lesser evil.

As for the Clan Council, they were regretful that a more peaceful solution was not devised in time. Even Hyuga Hiashi, who was a long-time rival of Uchiha Fugaku, both their clans being the only ones in Konoha with dojutsu, felt a twinge of remorse at the loss of one of Konoha's founding clans. Unlike the civilians however, they knew of the coup, and sympathized with the burden placed on Itachi's shoulders. So, when most of the Civilian Council began to shout for Itachi's capture and death, it took all their considerable training and discipline to marshal their anger. Instead, they presented their civilian counterparts with masks of indifference, though they nodded subtly at Mebuki and Teuchi, both of who were gazing sadly at the Uchiha seat.

Fortunately, before things could escalate, the Hokage flexed his considerable political muscles and told the civilians in no uncertain terms that they just did not have the manpower or resources to conduct a wide-scale manhunt for _one _man, no matter how dangerous said man was. The Elders, his former teammates Koharu and Homura, and his rival Danzo, all agreed with him, much to the surprise of the two councils. In all the time they had been council members, there was _never _a time when all three Elders _and _the Hokage had agreed on a single topic, so they were understandably shocked. Hiruzen himself was surprised, though he hid it well. He had expected Koharu and Homura to agree: the three of them usually saw eye-to-eye in matters like this, but _Danzo _agreeing was a different matter entirely. The satisfied glint in his rival's eye did little to assuage his suspicions, but he shoved his concerns to the back of his mind, deciding to focus on the power-vacuum in the village first.

As the meeting dragged on, Hiruzen allowed his thoughts to wander to the last two Uchiha in the village. His expression turned slightly sad at the thought of how much pain the two had to be going through, though the knowledge that Sasuke had a tight-knit group of friends to help him and Mikoto through this made him smile slightly. Unnoticed by anyone, he briefly closed his eyes and sent up a silent prayer for the two Uchiha, and for Itachi, wherever he was.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey readers! Happy New Year! Enjoy the chapter, it is extra long this time.

By the way, updates will be slow, partly due to uploading problems and partly due to my other responsibilities. I'm not giving up on this story though.

Disclaimer: All canonical characters, references, and abilities/techniques belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 7 – Genin Exams and a Traitor

"Normal speech"

_'Thoughts'_

**"Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki speaking"**

**_'Biju/Biju-mode Jinchuriki thoughts'_**

~ The Academy, three years later ~

The three years following the Massacre were difficult for the village as a whole, and for the two remaining Uchiha in particular. The loss of one of Konoha's most prestigious clans was a grievous blow to its military power, and, with the loss of the Uchiha Military Police, more shinobi were forced to stay within the village to deal with domestic issues usually dealt with by the Military Police. This had the unfortunate result of limiting the mission income of the village.

Even more than that, the news that it was the clan prodigy, Uchiha Itachi, who killed off his clan, made ripples through the village and the rest of the shinobi world. Now, whenever people spoke of Itachi, it was with barely concealed hatred, much to Sasuke's ire and Mikoto's sorrow. On the flipside, Sasuke and Mikoto were treated as though they were made of glass by most of the village, causing the two no end of irritation.

At present, Sasuke was sitting with the rest of the Nine at the back of the class, both for want of their company and to get away from the fangirls. The fangirls were a relatively new clique of the female populace that had cropped up in the years following the Massacre. They consisted of the more naïve female members of their (the Nine's) generation: those who believed that being a kunoichi of Konoha was like being the princess of a fairy tale. Said individuals had made it their goal to try and 'seduce' Sasuke into going out with one of them, seeing that, as the Last Uchiha, so to speak, he was essentially prime real estate. Their actions and foolish mentality garnered them a lot of disgust from the more serious kunoichi, such as Sakura, Ino, and Hinata, as well as serving to irritate the boys in the class to no end.

The Nine had grown tremendously in the years following the Massacre. The discussion they had in the Hokage's office three years ago had driven home the fact that, even here in Konoha, they were not safe from the horrors of the shinobi lifestyle. As such, they had all delved deeply into their training, seeking to push themselves to the limit in order to better protect their friends and family.

After his brother left the village, Sasuke had been completely miserable for over a month, until his friends managed to snap him out of it. Well, more like Naruto bothered him till he let finally let out his emotions in an intense sparring match. When the match had ended, Naruto and Sasuke could barely stand, but Sasuke was back to normal.

After that, Sasuke had thrown himself into training, with help from his mother. Over the past three years, he had achieved high-chunin-level mastery (use of only two thirds of the required hand-signs) of not only the Grand Fireball Technique, but also the Phoenix Flower Technique. He had also, like the rest of the Nine, increased his chakra reserves and completely mastered tree-walking. The nine of them were now working on a combination of the tree-walking and leaf-balancing exercises.

In addition, he had greatly improved his speed and reaction time via spars with Naruto, Kiba, and, ocassionally, his mother, as well as managing to unlock two tomoe in each of his Sharingan. The day he awakened his Sharingan was surprisingly normal, given the importance of the event to him. He had been in the middle of a heated spar with Naruto, the blond's near-limitless stamina and occasional use of ferrokinetic abilities keeping Sasuke on his toes.

Near the end of the spar, Naruto had sent a pair of metal spheres towards Sasuke's head, and Sasuke, in a sudden burst of adrenaline, had subconsciously sent chakra to his eyes, activating the first tomoe of each Sharingan, allowing him to see and react to the attack with preternatural speed. They had stopped the spar immediately and the next few minutes had been spent analyzing the situation in order to determine how he unlocked his Sharingan. The combination of all these improvements had allowed Sasuke to rapidly ascend to the position of top rookie shinobi in the class.

As for the rest of the Nine, the other clan-born had greatly improved their individual techniques, ramping the speed, duration of use, and efficiency of their techniques to mid-chunin-level.

Shikamaru could now successfully hold up to ten people, up to low-chunin level, in his Shadow Possession Technique and keep it active for nearly ten minutes with a single target. He had also greatly improved his strategic thinking, courtesy of regular Shogi games with his father. In turn, he had begun to teach his friends the art of tactical warfare. Of course, he was still incredibly lazy when not training, so he would only do the bare minimum in class to pass.

Ino could launch her Mind-Body Switch with surprising accuracy for someone her age, able to send the technique across distances of nearly a hundred feet in about a second. However, she still had problems hitting a moving target. She had also gained basic medical knowledge, and was now able to perform advanced first-aid with startling efficiency. At present, she was taking lessons with Hiroto, who was teaching her the basics of chakra based healing techniques.

Choji had his Partial Multi-Size Technique down to an art, able to grow any part of his body to thirty times its original size in under a second. He was currently working on the Human Bullet Tank Technique, and was able to maintain forward momentum for nearly thirty seconds before he got too giddy to continue. According to his father, Choza, in time he would be able to negate the disorienting effects of spinning around like that and utilize the technique to its full potential.

Hinata had begun learning the Gentle Fist from her father, but was experiencing a surprising amount of difficulty in adapting to the style. Hiashi just pushed her harder, believing that it was her naturally kind and soft-spoken nature that was preventing her from learning the taijutsu style. His constant berating of her apparent weakness had made her very withdrawn within the Hyuga Compound, barely interacting with anyone save her beloved sister, Hanabi. When with her friends though, she was a vicious combatant, utilizing her slightly modified version of the Gentle Fist, which she had developed with her friends but never shown her father for fear of his reaction, in spars to great effect. The only individuals who could keep up with her in a taijutsu fight were Sasuke, Naruto, and Kiba, who were the foremost taijutsu experts in their group. Hinata had also begun learning about medicinal herbs and poisonous plants, showing a natural affinity towards making medicinal creams and poisons.

Sakura, who was the top rookie kunoichi in the class, had improved her chakra strength technique by leaps and bounds. She could now fell trees with three-foot wide trunks with a single punch, and shatter rocks the size of a cart with a kick. Needless to say, she was the one person that everyone dreaded facing in a spar, seeing as a single well-placed punch from her could put even Choji, who was the most durable of the Nine, in the hospital.

In terms of her medical training, she had taken to it like a duck to water, soaking up Hiroto's lessons like a sponge. She was able to use the basic version of the Mystic Palm technique and could heal anything up to and including a fractured bone.

She had also put her edeitic memory to good use both inside and outside of the class. In class, she absorbed all the information taught by Iruka and had Inner Sakura, a mental manifestation of her subconscious, catalogue the information within her mental library, hence her amazing grades. Outside of class, she used this ability to memorize patterns in the movements of her friends and inform them of possible counters for certain moves and brainstorm ways to nullify their individual stance weaknesses.

Kiba and Akamaru had spent so much time training together that their ability to communicate was borderline telepathic. His mother, Tsume, had said that she had never seen such a strong bond between an Inuzuka and their ninken before. The two could now perform the Fang Passing Fang taijutsu technique with enough power to blast down foot-thick earth walls, and had a surprising amount of skill in the use of both the Four Legs Technique and the Beast Human Transformation. Their combination of speed and unpredictability in a fight made him very difficult to battle, as only Sakura and Choji were strong enough to physically counter the Fang Passing Fang.

Shino had tripled the size of his Kikaichu hive in the past three years and was just over mid-genin level in his taijutsu skill, courtesy of his spars with his friends. He had also begun to express himself more around the rest of the Nine, even going so far as to remove his sunglasses and loosen his collar when alone with them. In private, of course.

His connection with his hive was, like the bond between Kiba and Akamaru, unnaturally strong for someone his age, and his Kikaichu could now maneuver almost independently of him in battle in order to fully exploit their small size and numerical advantage. He had also taken to learning some kenjutsu in order to supplement his taijutsu skills as his symbiotic relationship with the Kikaichu made it difficult for him to build up the necessary muscle mass to be an effective taijutsu user.

As for Naruto, well, his chakra reserves had, much like his friends, gone up. The only difference was that Naruto's reserves were now double that of the Hokage himself and his chakra was extremely potent (powerful enough to create shockwaves when he channeled enough of it out), courtesy of both his Uzumaki heritage and the slow assimilation of Kurama's chakra into his body. This forced him to spend more time on chakra control exercises than all his friends combined, but he still found his chakra to be unmanageable at best. As a consequence, he was unable to perform the Clone Technique unless he created thousands of clones, because his massive reserves meant that he kept overloading them. Oddly enough, his Substitution and Transformation techniques were among the best in the class. Shikamaru had theorized that Naruto's massive reserves and potent chakra allowed him to perform the techniques with greater efficiency and power because he could "supercharge" them with chakra, something no one else in the village was able to do.

He had also improved his ferrokinetic abilities to a phenomenal extent. His sensing range had extended to around ten kilometers, allowing him to sense every scrap of metal within the walls of Konoha with ease. He could also manipulate any metal within a half-kilometer of him with little more than a thought. As such, his friends had learnt to _always _keep on their toes when sparring with him because he could send an attack at them from any direction. For instance, he had once tunneled several kunai under Choji's feet and turned them into clamps to hold him down, making him an easy target for Naruto's next move. However, he still found it easier to manipulate metal by focusing the power through his hands towards the intended target. He had also discovered that he could fly, provided he was standing on a piece of metal or had metal in his clothes.

In terms of his relationship with Kurama, the friendship between the two was even stronger than the bonds Naruto had with the Nine, which is saying something, since the Nine were essentially a family. Of course, Naruto still had not told them about Kurama for fear of their reaction, much to the fox's irritation.

Following tips from Ino and her father on the matter of mental disciplines, Naruto had remodeled his mindscape, turning it from a gloomy sewer into a massive open prairie. The bars and tag, which represented the seal, had been condensed into an armored vest around Kurama's torso at the biju's request, having decided that a collar would be insulting to him. The two had also started working on Naruto's ability to use Kurama's chakra, but so far he had been having little success, as the chakra would burn him whenever he started to draw it out. According to Kurama, the two of them had to be fully synchronized in order for Naruto to fully utilize the chakra, so they decided to use this ability as a last resort trump card only.

As the Nine sat there, Naruto, who was amusing them by making shapes out of a metal sphere, took in the physical changes of his friends and himself. All of them were at least four and a half feet tall, a far cry from the midgets they were when they first started the Academy. Also, all of them, the boys especially (even Shikamaru), had begun to develop muscles from all the training they had been doing.

Their outfits had not changed very much since they started the Academy, all of them simply going with larger versions of their usual clothes (the manga outfits, except Naruto). The main difference was that they all had, at Naruto's insistence, obtained clothing interwoven with ninja wire, so he could fly them around if need be. Naruto's outfit, for example, had ninja wire woven into the cape, and he had plates of metal hidden in his jumpsuit to serve as armour. However, his biggest secret was hidden in the pockets of his jumpsuit. In each of his ten pockets was a special seal, designed to contain a flowing material (sand, water, metal filings, etc.) and release it in increments until the container was full, while simultaneously not allowing the material to flow out of the container. In this case, they contained hundreds of thousands of small, inch-wide, metal spheres made of tungsten, about two metric tons of the stuff in total. The metal was Naruto's primary weapon and trump card, seeing as only the Nine, the Hokage, and Jiraiya, who gave him the seals, knew about them.

Naruto had just formed a metal replica of Iruka when Ami, the self-proclaimed leader of the 'Sasuke-fan-club' sauntered up to their group, a superior glint in her eye. Shino noticed her first and let out a soft groan before muttering, "Watch out guys, Ami's coming."

At that statement, the rest of the Nine let out groans of their own, not in the mood for Ami's attempts to 'woo' Sasuke. On his part, Sasuke just pushed himself into the corner and tried to look asleep. Unfortunately, Ami was not one of the dumber fangirls and saw right through the act. She immediately put on her 'cutest' expression and said, "Oh, _Sasuke-kuuuuun_! Surely you have better things to do than to hang around with _these _guys."

Sasuke twitched in indignation while his friends shot her dirty looks, Sakura especially. Ami had been one of Sakura's primary antagonists when they were younger, always mocking her for the colour of her hair and the size of her forehead. Back then, Ino would come to her rescue, but Sakura had since grown quite a backbone herself and promptly proceeded to tell Ami off. "I can tell you right now that Sasuke would much rather hang out with us than with _you_, Ami. Now go away and leave us in peace." Her piece said, Sakura turned away and ignored the rapidly reddening fangirl.

Ami's face twisted in anger. "As if I'd ever listen to you, _Forehead_! You just want Sasuke for yourself, don't you?"

Sakura did not respond, but her cheeks tinted slightly, not that Ami noticed. If she was to be completely honest with herself, she _did _have a bit of a crush on Sasuke, but she knew him well enough to know that he was not yet ready for a relationship of any sort. She would much rather they remain friends than risk losing even that in an attempt to win his heart.

Taking Sakura's lack of response as a sign of submission, Ami seemed to swell with pride as she prattled on. "Nothing to say huh? I thought so. Sasuke-kun would never waste his time with the likes of you. I mean seriously, with that forehead, who would want you?"

Sakura's fists clenched under the table while the rest of the Nine glared daggers at Ami. Even Sasuke had pushed off the wall to glower at her. "Ami." Started the Uchiha, his teeth gritted in an attempt to rein in his temper. "Go. _Away_."

Not getting the hint, she replied, "But Sasuke-kun, surely you'd rather spend time with me than with these _losers_. After all, I-"

Her response was abruptly cut short by a groaning sound as the entire building shook. Immediately, everyone's eyes shot to Naruto, who had an almost serene expression on his face. If the Nine did not know him as well as they did, they would never have guessed that he had just grabbed the building by its foundations and shaken it, nor would they have been able to see the simmering rage just under his mask of calm.

Naruto turned to face Ami, his eyes closed, and addressed her in a perfectly level voice, though everyone could hear the underlying anger in his tone. "I wouldn't have just happened to hear you _insult _my friends, did I, _Ami_?" His eyes snapped open to fix her with a glare so fierce that even his friends edged away from him slightly. If there was one thing Naruto did not like, it was people insulting or bullying his friends, a fact that had been made abundantly clear over the past three years.

Ami's bladder nearly gave out under Naruto's piercing gaze, his normally sky-blue eyes now dark and foreboding, like the sky just before a thunderstorm. Dense and stubborn though she may be, Ami knew better than to antagonize the one who was arguably the most powerful person in the Academy. Shooting back a half-hearted glare of her own, she spat, "_Fine_. You win this time, _dobe_. But I _will _get what is mine." With that, she turned around and stormed off in a huff, though they could clearly see her trembling in fear.

Once she was out of hearing range, Kiba gave a low whistle and turned to Naruto. "_Dang_ man. That was the _scariest _glare I've ever_ seen_, and I live with my _mom_. What were you going to do to her?"

Naruto just shrugged, his eyes now alight with mischief. "Meh, nothing permanent, maybe just gag her with this" he held up the metal sphere, "or something."

Ino snorted in amusement, crossing her arms under her developing chest, an action that earned several lustful looks from several male students around the class. Those looks promptly stopped when Choji, Shikamaru, and Sasuke glared at them, their expression promising great pain. "I'd have _paid _you to do that, Naruto. She's just so, so… UGH!" She slammed her fist on a desk to accentuate her point.

Hinata sighed and gently rubbed Ino's back. "Calm down Ino, Ami's not worth getting angry over." Then the gentle Hyuga's eyes narrowed. "But if she _ever _says anything like that again, I'm going to Gentle Fist her in the gut."

Shikamaru, who had his head back on the desk, rolled his eyes and muttered, "Troublesome. She's not worth _anything _we can do to her, so just forget about it huh?"

Choji grinned at his brother as he munched on some chips. "Of course you'd think that getting back at Ami is "troublesome", Shika. Almost everything's troublesome for you."

The rest of the Nine promptly burst out laughing at the truth behind that statement while Shikamaru fixed Choji with a half-hearted glare. Just as he opened his mouth to retort though, Ami, who had snuck closer to listen in, decided to open her big mouth again.

"As much as I _hate _to admit it, tubby's right, you're _waaaaay_ too lazy to amount to anything, Nara. Maybe you should just quit being a shinobi and – MMPH! MMMMM!" Ami's tirade was abruptly cut short by a metal sphere that suddenly flattened and clamped itself over her mouth like a limpet. As she frantically tried to pry it off, several chairs shot at her, picked her up, and pinned her to the ceiling.

There was a stunned silence in the classroom, punctuated only by Ami's muffled screams for help. As one, the entire class turned to look at Naruto, who was casually shuffling a deck of cards. Upon noticing the gazes of the entire class, he looked up. "What? I warned her not to insult my friends again." He promptly went back to shuffling the cards before he addressed his group, "So, who's up for a game?"

~ Fifteen minutes later ~

Iruka and Mizuki walked into the class to see the incredible sight of Ami, who was still struggling, pinned to the ceiling by several chairs, a metal gag over her mouth. Mizuki just gawked while Iruka sighed and massaged his temples. Turning to the Nine, who were in the middle of a game of poker, Iruka said, "Naruto, what happened?"

Naruto looked up from his hand, a confused expression on his face. "What're you talking about Iruka-sensei?" He asked, his voice dripping with faux-innocence. Iruka did not buy it for a second.

Iruka rolled his eyes before responding. "First, you _know _that doesn't work on me. Second, why is Ami on the ceiling, and why does she have metal over her mouth?"

Naruto pouted at the first statement and let out a disheartened, "Awwww." The entire class, minus Ami, snickered at the clear disappointment on his features. Before Naruto could begin to lament his 'misfortune', Sakura smacked him on the arm, putting just enough chakra into the blow to make it sting.

Naruto shot the pinkette an indignant look, one that Sakura just ignored. "Just answer Iruka-sensei's question Naruto. No one wants to hear you complain about how you can't convince Iruka-sensei of your "innocence", _again_." Despite the exasperation in her tone, a sparkle of amusement was clearly visible in her green eyes.

Naruto rolled his eyes good-naturedly and shook his head in resignation. "Anyway, to answer your second question, Iruka-sensei, I warned the harpy-" He paused at the sound of Ami's indignant screams, muffled though they were, and shot Iruka a "see what I mean?" look, earning snorts of laughter from the class. "I warned her not to insult my friends. As you can clearly see, she didn't get the message."

Iruka sighed and massaged his temples, fighting down the urge to smile. "Naruto, as much as I agree that you should defend your friends, I really need you to let Ami down. I need to make some final announcements for the Genin Exams tomorrow."

At those words, the entire class perked up. Naruto in particular was trembling in excitement, remembering the Hokage's promise to tell him about his parents once he made genin. Glancing up at Ami, he tilted his head slightly, causing the chairs to let her down, slowly.

Once she was back on terra firma, the metal covering her mouth detached and reformed into a sphere. Said sphere promptly floated back to Naruto and deposited itself inside his bag. Ami worked her jaw around a few times and stretched, getting feeling back into her body from being pinned to the ceiling for so long.

Once she was sure she could move properly again, she walked back to her seat, shooting Naruto a dirty look as she went. Naruto just ignored her, his attention fully on Iruka as the Instructor walked back to the front of the class.

Looking around, Iruka began to speak. "Alright, as you all know, your Genin Exams are tomorrow. You've all worked very hard to get here. Well, _most _of you anyway." He fixed Shikamaru with a glare, earning several laughs and a muttered, "Troublesome" from the lazy student.

Smirking to himself, Iruka continued, "Anyway, this is a heads up so you have an idea on what to expect tomorrow. The exam will be split into three parts: written, physical, and ninjutsu. Bonus marks will be awarded to students who perform above and beyond the norm. More details will be given just before you take the tests. The tests are expected to last the whole day, and you should receive your final grade immediately after the ninjutsu portion of the exams. Remember, you _must _pass _each _portion to graduate. Now, go home and get some rest. I expect you all here bright and early tomorrow. Dismissed!"

The students immediately charged out the doors, desperate to get home and pull some last minute preparations. Most of them anyway, the Nine just waited for the stampede of students to abate before heading out themselves, taking care to avoid the roving packs of Sasuke fangirls that patrolled the Academy grounds.

~ The next day, start of the exams ~

The entire class was sitting in the room a full half-hour before the start of the written portion, an odd occurrence in and of itself, considering that none of them liked written tests. Well, none of them except Sakura anyway. The pinkette was nearly bouncing in anticipation, much to the irritation of several of the other members of the group.

"I get that you're happy about this test Sakura, but do you really have to shout it to the whole world?" Demanded Ino, feeling somewhat put off by Sakura's incredibly confident aura. Inwardly though, she was incredibly proud at how far Sakura had progressed from the shy little girl that she met in the park one day.

Sakura just smiled and stuck her tongue out at Ino, closing her eyes in amusement as she did so. As she did this, no one noticed Sasuke's face tint red as he subconsciously activated his Sharingan, imprinting the image of Sakura's smiling face into his brain. Naruto glanced to the side and noticed the dreamy look in Sasuke's eyes and subtly nudged his best friend. Snapping out of his stupor, Sasuke's Sharingan deactivated as he shot Naruto a thankful look, fighting down the heat that had begun to build in his cheeks. Naruto just nodded once in response before redirecting his attention to his metal sphere.

However, a very different interaction was going on inside of Naruto's head. **"You know, for a member of a clan that prides themselves on their superhuman vision, he's rather blind." **Rumbled Kurama in amusement, referring to the way Sasuke looked at Sakura. **"He clearly fancies her, and she him, so why hasn't he done anything yet?"**

Naruto gave a mental groan. _'It's not so simple, Kurama. He needs to be sure that he's ready to date, then he needs to ask Mebuki-san…'_

Kurama snorted. **"Why must you humans make everything so complicated? If it were me…"**

_'Oi, I do _not _need to know that Kurama.' _Naruto grumbled before shutting off the link just as Kurama's amused laughter began to echo from the mindscape.

Just then, Iruka and Mizuki walked into the class, each carrying a rather large stack of papers. Setting the papers down at the front, Iruka turned to the class and waited for them to notice him. After several minutes of no one, except the Nine, noticing him, Iruka's foot began to tap impatiently, causing the Nine to whip out earplugs. Then he activated his "Big-Head Technique", causing his head to swell up to the size of a beach ball, and yelled, "PAY ATTENTION!" successfully shutting up the class.

"Now then," started Iruka as he glared at the sheepish students, ignoring the Nine, who were removing their earplugs, "I hope you're all prepared, because the written test begins as soon as everyone has a paper."

Once all the papers were handed out, Iruka looked at the clock and said, "Alright, you have one hour to complete this. Begin!"

~ One hour later ~

Most of the students had finished the paper within the time limit, though some, like Sakura and Shikamaru, finished within the first half-hour. On his part, Shikamaru just answered half the questions and fell asleep, much to Ino's irritation.

After all the papers were collected, Iruka carried them off to his office to be graded, seeing as Mizuki was in charge of the physical portion. Ignoring their excited chatter, Mizuki calmly led the students outside, though he subtly shot Naruto a dirty look.

~ Sparring field ~

"Alright," began Mizuki, "this next stage consists of three parts: an obstacle course," he pointed at a marked path running through a series of machines and traps, "a taijutsu spar, and target practice. The points will be awarded as such: thirty points for the obstacle course, twenty for the taijutsu portion, and twenty for target practice."

"For the obstacle course, one point will be deducted for every trap sprung and for every ten seconds above the five minute time limit you take getting though it. Finishing early will earn you up to five bonus points."

"For the taijutsu portion, you will be facing off with me for three minutes. Your points will be determined by a combination of skill, speed, coordination, and how long you stay in the ring. Again, up to five bonus points will be added depending on how long you stay in the ring after the time limit."

"Finally, for target practice, you must throw ten kunai and ten shuriken at the target over there." He pointed at a mannequin standing about twenty-five meters off. Points will be deducted for every miss, and up to five bonus points will be added for multiple hits in critical areas. Now, to begin, Shino, you're up!"

One by one, the entire class went though the tests. Unsurprisingly, the Nine were exemplary in their performance, each of them getting close to full points, including the bonus points, for both tests. Most of the other students got somewhere between twenty and thirty for the obstacle course, fifteen and twenty points for the taijutsu portion, and ten and twenty points for the projectile section. The only failures were the fangirls, but, seeing as most of them were utterly incompetent anyway, there was no big loss there.

Mizuki was inwardly raging at how well Naruto had done. This unprecedented success was putting a serious dent in his plans to coerce the 'Demon Brat' into helping him. Taking a breath to calm himself, he decided that the ninjutsu portion would have to do, seeing as Naruto was abysmal in the Clone Technique, which was a requirement to pass. As he followed the students inside for the final portion, he allowed a nasty smirk to slide across his face.

~ Ninjutsu testing room, some time later ~

Iruka looked up at the last of the students to come in: Uzumaki Naruto. Thus far, most of the performances were mediocre at best (most of the students), downright terrible (the fangirls), or actually impressive (the Nine). As such, every single member of the Academy Nine, soon to be the Rookie Nine, scored almost perfectly in this portion, even gaining the bonus marks for showcasing a non-Academy ninjutsu technique.

Still, Iruka was worried for his surrogate brother. He was familiar with Naruto's Clone problem, but try as he might, he could think of no way to fix it. The rules forbade the student from making more than the required number of clones (a ridiculous notion if you asked him), and performing it at least semi-successfully was a requirement to pass. Iruka had tried to petition regarding Naruto's unique circumstances, but the Civilian Council would not have it, citing favouritism and a desire to be unbiased.

_'Unbiased… pfft, yeah right.' _Thought Iruka with a derisive snort. _'They just don't want Naruto to pass. Bigoted, self-righteous, pompous, stuck-up…'_

"Uh, sensei?" Asked Naruto nervously, noting the frown on Iruka's face. "Is something wrong?"

Iruka snapped out of his increasingly angry thoughts with a jolt. "Huh? Oh! Sorry Naruto, I was just… thinking. Now, show me the Substitution Technique, the Transformation Technique, and the Clone Technique in that order please. After that, if you have another technique to demonstrate for bonus marks, kindly do so. Begin!"

Naruto nodded and made the appropriate hand-signs. He then molded his chakra and switched with Iruka before switching back. Iruka nodded and marked Naruto perfect, not noticing Mizuki's narrowed eyes.

Naruto then performed the Transformation Technique. Now, if he were foolish and immature, he might have tried a prank by turning into, say, a naked woman, but he was a soon to be shinobi, and he merely transformed into the Fourth Hokage. The likeness was so uncanny that Iruka and Mizuki almost stood up and saluted, barely catching themselves at the last instant. Needless to say, Naruto got perfect in this technique as well.

Then came the Clone Technique, for which he was required to produce three clones. Naruto screwed up his face in concentration and yelled, "Clone Technique!" There was a puff of smoke, which cleared to reveal a single clone that looked more like a blob monster than a person. Naruto's expression fell and Iruka sighed.

"I'll give you another shot Naruto. That's all I can do." Said Iruka in response to Naruto's pleading look.

Naruto's expression firmed and he nodded before trying again. Unfortunately, this attempt was just as bad as the last one, and Iruka's sad expression confirmed Naruto's sinking feelings. "I-I'm sorry Naruto, but you fail the ninjutsu portion." Murmured Iruka, looking as though he was ripping his own arm off by saying this. "Unfortunately, this also means that you… fail the Genin Exam." Naruto's expression promptly crumbled like a sandcastle in the rain as he felt his heart shatter.

"Ah, come on Iruka!" Interjected Mizuki, seeing the perfect opening to get into Naruto's good graces. "He tried his best, can't we just let it slide? I mean, he still has the bonus section to complete right?"

Iruka tilted his head in consideration, only for Naruto to yell, "NO! I don't want special treatment. It's not fair for the others." He gave Iruka a small smile as he headed for the door. "I'll just try next year, sensei. Don't worry about it." He turned around to hide the single disappointed tear that escaped his eye. "I'll be alright."

As the door closed behind Naruto, Iruka slumped in his chair, his face buried in his hands. In his grief however, he did not notice the evil smile that flashed across Mizuki's face.

~ Outside the Academy, later that day ~

Naruto had vanished as soon as he exited the examination room, using his powers to fly off somewhere. The Nine knew something was wrong as soon as he exited the room, his downcast expression speaking volumes, but it was only when they saw no forehead protector on him just before he flew off that they realized how serious it was. They immediately barged into the room and demanded to know what had happened from Iruka. Upon hearing the reasons why Naruto failed, the room was suddenly filled with an impressive amount of killing intent by the enraged genin. Even Shikamaru looked ready to kill someone, the look on his face enough to make Iruka shiver in fear.

As for Naruto, he was currently sitting atop a building overlooking the park, his posture slumped in defeat. Inside the mindscape though, Kurama was trying his best to comfort Naruto, though he had been making little progress. Thus far, all he could do was allow Naruto to snuggle into his fur for comfort.

Suddenly, Kurama's head snapped up as a familiar and _extremely _unwelcome presence approached Naruto. The fox's eyes narrowed as he growled before he glanced down at Naruto and spoke. **"Naruto, someone's coming, and I think you'll want to speak with him."**

Naruto just nodded mutely and exited the mindscape. Once outside, he pretended to be moping until the sound of footsteps made him look up. Upon seeing Mizuki, he immediately put on a faux-happy persona and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Mizuki-sensei! Hi! What're you doing here?"

Mizuki smiled, ignoring the ringing in his ears and the desire to just gut the boy. "I have a solution to your problem, Naruto. A secondary exam that will _guarantee _your advancement to genin! Just do what I tell you, and you'll be a genin with your friends in no time. What do you say?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically, but inwardly, he was stifling laughter. _'What does he take me for? As if I'd fall for that!'_

Kurama snorted. **"Clearly, he is underestimating you. But I suggest you play along for now, who knows what else he may reveal?"**

Naruto gave a mental nod of agreement before redirecting his attention to Mizuki. "Alright sensei, I'll bite. What do I need to do?"

Mizuki grinned and proceeded to tell him about a certain scroll located in a certain shelf in the Hokage's Office.

~ That night, in a small clearing in the forest ~

Naruto was sitting in the middle of the clearing, waiting for his rendezvous with Mizuki. As they had agreed, Naruto had snuck into the Hokage's office to steal the scroll. What Mizuki did _not _know was that Naruto had informed the Hokage, who had arrived just as Naruto was leaving, about the "deal", and that the old man was watching everything via his crystal ball. Unfortunately, in order to keep up appearances, the Hokage had been forced to inform several shinobi about the "theft" and ordered them to retrieve both Naruto and the scroll undamaged.

What none of them knew, however, was that the rest of the Nine were still actively searching for Naruto. Eventually, the rookies ran into a shinobi who was ranting about what Naruto had done. The rookies were understandably shocked and redoubled their efforts to find him, unable to believe that he would do something so foolish.

As they ran around, they came across Iruka, who was heading to the forest. Knowing that Iruka seemed to have an uncanny ability to track Naruto, they immediately tailed him, eventually arriving at the outskirts of a certain clearing.

Naruto glanced up just as Iruka landed in front of him, the latter's expression full of anger. "Uzumaki Naruto! What are you doing with that?!" Demanded Iruka, his face turning red in anger. Up in the trees, the rookies watched with bated breath, wondering how this was going to play out.

Before Naruto could reply however, Mizuki walked into the clearing, a nasty smile on his face. Iruka looked relieved to see Mizuki; that is until he heard what Mizuki had to say. "Ah, Naruto. So glad you could make it. Now, give me the scroll and we'll make you a genin in no time."

The rookies and Iruka looked ready to lunge at Mizuki when Naruto's amused laughter rang through the clearing. Once he had calmed down, Naruto glared at Mizuki. "Did you _honestly _think I'd fall for that? Do you take me for a _fool_, Mizuki? I informed the Hokage about our little… "deal", and he was _most _interested to know just what you wanted the Forbidden Scroll for. Matter of fact, the only reason I even have the real one here is in case you'd be able to tell the difference between this one and a fake."

Mizuki's face had turned puce from a combination of anger and humiliation. All his careful planning, all his months of plotting and scheming, all of them _destroyed _by a child! Nonetheless, he still had one card up his sleeve. One that he hoped would win him the day before the ANBU showed up.

Mizuki forced a smile back onto his face. "Well, I have a secret to tell you. Do you know _why _the villagers hate you? Why they curse at you and abuse you?"

Iruka paled. "Mizuki, NO! You can't!"

"Watch me Iruka! The reason is that _you _are the Kyubi! _You _are the demon that nearly destroyed the village all those years ago! No one cares about you demon! Even your so-called _friends _would abandon you if they knew!" Roared Mizuki, a triumphant expression on his face, certain that he had Naruto now.

Up in the trees, the Nine were reeling in shock, realizing that this was the reason Naruto was hated. However, unlike the villagers, they had gotten to know the real Naruto, and he was _far _from a massive rampaging demon. So, when they heard Mizuki's last sentence, they nearly jumped him then and there, only for Naruto's bitter bark of laughter to stop them dead.

"I already _know _about the Kyubi, Mizuki. I know that I am his container, not the fox himself. After all, is a glass the same as the water inside it?" Snarked Naruto, his eyes boring into Mizuki. Inside the mindscape, Kurama was observing the proceedings with interest, content to allow Naruto to handle the pompous weakling himself.

Mizuki snarled, his temper at its limit, and lunged at Naruto, a giant shuriken primed to cut him in half. Before Naruto could defend himself, Iruka lunged at Mizuki, kunai drawn. The two chunin crossed blades, each trying to overpower the other, while Naruto watched on in shock.

"Naruto! Get out of here!" Ordered Iruka, his voice tight from effort. "I'll hold him off, just g-UGNHH!" Iruka doubled over as Mizuki's knee crashed into his lower abdomen, driving the air from his lungs and bruising several organs.

As Iruka keeled over, Mizuki viciously kicked him into a tree before whipping out a syringe and injecting himself in the neck. Iruka raised his head weakly to see Mizuki laughing like a maniac, his veins bulging and his pupils contracting to pinpricks. Then Mizuki threw his head back and roared as his body began to swell, the specialized chakra chemicals he had injected into himself forcing an incredibly rapid mutation of his body. Iruka, Naruto, Kurama, and the rookies watched in morbid fascination as Mizuki grew to ten feet tall, his muscles swelling to the size of suspension bridge cables, as, with the sickening sound of cracking bone, his skeleton enlarged and reinforced itself, spikes of solid bone projecting from his joints.

Once the transformation had stopped, Mizuki lowered his head to glare at his two opponents, his jagged, fang-like teeth jutting out from his mouth. Then he opened his mouth and roared at them before uprooting a tree and using it as a club. Iruka and Naruto promptly jumped away, their eyes wide in shock.

As they ran through the trees, they were joined by the rookies, much to Naruto's surprise. "Wha- guys?! When did…? Who…? H-how much did you hear?" He stammered, worried at how they might react.

Sasuke glared at him. "All of it, and we will discuss this _after _we deal with the traitor behind us, got it?" Naruto just nodded sheepishly at the matching glares from the rest of his friends.

Just then, an ear-splitting roar followed by the sounds of shattering tree trunks from behind them alerted them to the fact that Mizuki was in hot pursuit. They glanced back just in time to dodge a tree that had been turned into an impromptu missile. In retaliation, Sasuke flung a trio of shuriken at Mizuki, only to watch in shock as the sharpened steel merely scraped his skin, leaving scratches that healed over almost instantly.

Snarling to himself, Sasuke spun around mid-leap and launched a Great Fireball at the charging juggernaut. The fireball impacted Mizuki head on, but did absolutely nothing to slow him down, his mutated physiology and healing factor allowing him to easily withstand the impact. In response, he uprooted another tree and launched it at them, only for Sakura, chakra forming a visible aura around her fists, to catch it and throw it back.

"Guys!" Yelled Sakura. "I think we need to fight! Just slow him down long enough for the ANBU to get here!" The others exchanged glances and nodded in agreement before landing on the forest floor.

No sooner had they touched down did Mizuki come barreling out of the trees, his face set in a mask of rage. The mutated traitor pulled his arm back for a punch, only for Sakura to meet it with one of her own. Raw muscle met chakra enhanced strength with a thunderclap that cratered the ground. The resulting shockwave sent leaves fluttering down from the trees as the rest of the Nine, and Iruka, swarmed the shocked Mizuki.

Mizuki tried to wind up for another punch, only to find his body frozen, a thin tendril of shadow connecting him to a kneeling Shikamaru. Sakura jumped back just in time for Sasuke, Kiba, and Iruka to dart around Mizuki, their kunai flashing as they cut into his flesh. Unfortunately, the kunai were unable to penetrate more than a few centimeters, and Mizuki's healing factor meant that the wounds were only mildly irritating at best.

Undeterred, the trio kept slashing while Shino sent his kikaichu at Mizuki to try and drain him of chakra. Just as the insects latched on, a shadow fell over Mizuki as Choji grew his arm to the size of a dinner table. Sasuke, Kiba, and Iruka jumped aside just as the giant fist slammed the traitor into the ground with a thunderous punch. Ino and Hinata immediately followed up with a barrage of chakra based attacks, both putting their limited medical knowledge to devastating effect as they unleashed a devastating barrage of attacks on Mizuki's internal organs and tenketsu.

While this was going on, Naruto had summoned half of his metal store and was in the process of shaping it into a weapon. Just as Ino and Hinata retreated to avoid a swipe by Mizuki, Naruto brought the mother of all meat tenderizers down onto Mizuki. Shino swiftly withdrew his kikaichu as the spiky hammer head liquefied, encasing the traitor in a sphere before hardening. Only then did Shikamaru feel safe enough to release his hold on Mizuki.

The ten of them had just breathed a sigh of relief when a crackling sound from Mizuki's prison alerted them to a crack appearing in the shell. They slowly turned to look at the sphere, their eyes wide in shock as the crack spread along its surface. The Nine knew how strong one of those spheres was: it had taken Sakura several punches at full strength to even _dent _the shell, and that was assuming she had enough room to wind up. Mizuki had been completely immobilized before being encased.

Just as those thoughts passed through their minds, the sphere exploded and Mizuki leapt out with a roar, his eyes glowing with purple chakra. He landed with an earth-shaking thump and immediately swatted Sakura into a nearby tree, the force of the impact causing her to scream in pain. The others became enraged, Sasuke in particular looking ready to rend Mizuki limb from limb.

As one, they charged the rampaging behemoth, firing ninjutsu and unleashing all their taijutsu and weapons on him in a mad flurry of impacts, to no avail. He merely ignored all their attacks while simultaneously swatting them around like flies. The first to go down was Iruka, a thunderous backhand snapping his right arm and sending him into a tree. Next were Shikamaru and Ino, both sent flying into the bushes by the shockwave of a powerful ground stomp. Choji followed soon after, Mizuki mercilessly pummeling the Akimichi into the ground.

Seeing their friends and sensei get taken out so quickly merely stoked the fire in the others and they attacked with renewed vigor, actually managing to push Mizuki back. Then the mutant grabbed Kiba and Akamaru and threw them into Sasuke and Shino. All four smashed into a tree and collapsed, unable to move from the pain.

Hinata and Naruto exchanged nervous glances as Mizuki's head turned to regard them, then Naruto hissed, "Hinata, can you buy me a few seconds? I have an idea." Hinata nodded, her face set in a mask of determination as she lunged at her former sensei, Byakugan blazing.

Naruto quickly summoned two spheres of tungsten and merged them together. He then shaped the larger sphere into a more streamlined form, reminiscent of a dart, but without the stabilizing feathers. He then levitated the projectile over his hand and aimed it at Mizuki just as Hinata was slapped away.

Mizuki smiled nastily as he turned to regard Naruto and spoke, his voice a cold, metallic sounding rasp, "Just you and me now, demon. Give me the scroll, and I'll make your death quick." Everyone who heard it shivered at the unnatural rasping tone his voice had taken, it sounded like he had swallowed a fistful of nails and was trying to speak with them grinding in his throat. Mizuki snarled and took a step towards Naruto, his eyes focused on the Forbidden Scroll strapped to Naruto's back.

The others in the clearing tried desperately to get up, the sight of Mizuki advancing on Naruto sending icy fingers of fear down their spines. Naruto's eyes narrowed at Mizuki and he spoke, his voice cold and merciless, sending shivers down even Mizuki's spine, "Mizuki, I would rather _die _than give you this scroll. Now though, I'm going to avenge my friends and sensei." Inside the mindscape, Kurama gave a massive grin at what he was seeing and settled down to watch the fireworks.

Mizuki blinked, then he threw his head back and laughed. "BWAHAHAHA! What're you going to do demon? You and your friends _together _could not defeat me!"

Naruto just levitated his projectile higher and aimed it at Mizuki. "What am I going to do?" He growled. "_This_." Then the tungsten spike rocketed towards the traitor like a bullet, a pressure cone forming around the spike from its sheer forward velocity as it went from zero to _shatter-the-sound-barrier_ instantaneously.

Now, a civilian can throw a kunai at a maximum velocity of approximately 15 meters per second. A high-level shinobi could easily quadruple that velocity using sheer muscle power alone. In fact, the fastest recorded speed on a kunai was one thrown by Namikaze Minato in preparation for his Flying Thunder God Technique, clocking in at over 100 meters per second. However, Naruto's projectile blew them all out of the water as it rocketed towards Mizuki at three and a half times the speed of sound.

The average human can react at a speed of approximately 200 milliseconds, though the upper end of the scale is about 150 milliseconds. A shinobi can react anywhere from 50 to 100 milliseconds, with the fastest recorded reaction time being just under 20 milliseconds by, again, Namikaze Minato.

Mizuki, who was standing about sixty feet from Naruto, had just over 15 milliseconds to react, nowhere _near _enough time for his lumbering form. So when the spike hit him in the left elbow, all he could do was blink. Time seemed to slow down as the sharpened tip of the tungsten spike punched into his flesh, then his elbow exploded from the sheer amount of kinetic energy behind the impact, his forearm flopping to the ground like a dead fish as the projectile vanished into the forest.

Everyone in the clearing stared at the stump of Mizuki's arm for a moment, then Mizuki let out a horrific bellow of pain and clutched his arm with his remaining hand. The Nine and Iruka looked at Naruto with wide eyes, only to see that he had two more tungsten spikes ready to go. He flicked his index fingers and the spikes vanished with the sound of thunderclaps. Almost immediately after, Mizuki found himself missing both legs at the knee. His resulting screams as he collapsed onto his front shook leaves out of the trees.

Naruto slowly walked up to the cowering Mizuki, who was slowly changing back, the effects of the mutagen finally wearing off due to a combination of stress, trauma, and blood loss. Once he was close enough to whisper into his ear, Naruto knelt down and hissed, "That was a warning. Hurt my friends again, and I will do more than blast off a few limbs." He flicked his wrist and the metal he had used earlier, all one ton of it, flew into the air, morphed into a hammer, and smashed the back-to-normal Mizuki into la-la land.

Naruto glanced at his injured friends and teacher before gently wrapping them in the metal and carrying them off to the hospital. He brought Mizuki too, every part of him, though he made sure to drag the traitor's face on the ground as they moved.

They made it back to the main wall before being surrounded by ANBU and the Hokage. Hiruzen immediately began barking orders, telling the ANBU to take the injured to the hospital and to bring Mizuki to the T&I department. He also told them to tell Ibiki and Anko to break out the welcome wagon. The ANBU nearly wet themselves in fear at that statement.

Once everyone had gone, Hiruzen turned to Naruto, who was resealing his metal, a grandfatherly smile on his face. "Well done, Naruto. Now, go home and rest. I will see you in my office tomorrow for a full debrief, and for what I promised you." The old man was barely able to hide the pride in his voice as he took the Forbidden Scroll, something Naruto noticed.

Naruto smiled back sincerely. "Thanks, Jiji." His expression turned troubled. "But, I think I should bring my friends too." _'Assuming they're still my friends, of course.' _He thought cynically, earning a snort from Kurama. "It's time they knew, and I don't want to have to tell it more than once."

Hiruzen nodded in agreement, having seen everything via his crystal ball. "An excellent idea, Naruto-kun. I shall summon them along with you. Now, come. Let us retire for the night."

Naruto just smiled back tiredly as he walked towards his apartment. Once there, he made straight for his bed and collapsed into it. The last this he heard before falling into the realm of Morpheus was Kurama's rumble of, **"Well done, Naruto."**


End file.
